Carrot Gnocchi
I decided to stay home sick today after I was unable to convince my boss that I was healthy yesterday.
Lunchtime rolled around and it was time to go to the fridge. I spotted some baby carrots. My mind and flavor memory were thinking of the Farmers' Market carrots I had last week while looking at the baby carrots in the fridge. I was setting myself up for disappointment. Luckily, despite how bland many foods, like baby carrots, can be a quick roast in the oven can bring out whatever sweetness is locked inside the empty shell of a vegetable.
Carrot Gnocchi
enough for one person for lunch.
2 handfuls of baby carrots (from the photo it looks like about 25)
flour
butter
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Put the carrots on a baking sheet and roast at 400 ºF for about 30 minutes until they are soft and sweet.
(soft and sweet)
Puree the carrots in a food processor or in a mortar and pestle until you get something that loooks like carrot paste.
(not so paste-y - a mortar and pestle would have been better)
Add salt and pepper to the paste, then start working in the flour to make a dough. It's hard to say when it is done. I try to make something firm enough that I can roll out into a log without it sticking to the board but not so firm that if you push your finger into the log it bounces back more than just a little. Once you have a log, cut the log into little pieces and roll against the back of a fork to put in the sauce-holding indentations.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. At the same time melt a little bit of butter in the pan, let it foam up and then let the foam subside to start browning the milk solids. Browned butter = delicious.
After the gnocchi float to the top, drain them out and toss into the hot, sizzling butter. Give them a little bit of a fry to get a little bit of crust on the outside, then put them onto a plate and grate/shave a little bit of the parmesan cheese on top.
Eat!
4 comments:
Aside from wetting my pants a little just now, I'm excited to think about what kind of sauce could go well with carrot gnocchi. I would think something as simple as some chunks of fried pancetta (plus juices) would add another layer of awesome to that dish.
FYI, Above comment is from Robert from Davis V&E, not some strange Eastern European man. Apparently I have a Blogger account from many years ago, who knew?
Thanks Robert - After reading the first line I thought perhaps the spam filter missed a hit. Pancetta, like bacon, makes everything better. Also, to go a little bit heavier, a pancetta/parmesan/cream sauce.
Hey Greg. I just made this except my carrots were a little more past their prime than they should have been. I steamed them a bit after roasting because they were much too dry, but it still turned out fantastic. Nice simple recipe. Also probably could have used less butter, but I like to live my life on the edge...of cardiac arrest.
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