Want to practice Italian and cook up this delicious recipe by Chef Maurizio Ferrarese, head chef at Sud Italia, at the same time? Find the Italian version HERE as Gnocchi Di Patate Con Funghi Autunnali, Guanicale E Gamberi Del Golfo.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 egg yolks
- 11 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 cups extra flour to roll gnocchi
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound Gulf shrimp
- 1 pound Guanciale (or use Shiner Pork smoked jowl bacon), diced
- 10 basil leaves
- 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
- 4 medium size shallots, chopped
- 1 pound autumn mushrooms (chantarelles, velvet pioppini, or other mushrooms)
- ½ cup chardonnay or dry white wine
Preparation
For the Gnocchi
Wash the potatoes, place them on a sheet pan and cook them in the oven at 350 F for about 40 minutes or until you can stick a fork and they are tender.
Once cooked, take them out of the oven, peel them, mash them with a rice miller into a bowl. Add egg yolks, flour, salt and pepper and grated Parmesan cheese. Mix all together, but don’t over-knead. Set aside.
Dust a clean surface with extra flour and start rolling the gnocchi dough like a small salami of 1 inch diameter. Cut them with a spatula 1 inch of length. Place them aside on sheet pan and set aside in the fridge.
For the sauce
Add diced Guanciale in a pan and place it on medium-low heat. Let it slowly cook till golden brown. Remove some excess fat if you think it is too much, and pour off the rest to retain for the shrimp.
In the same pan, fry the shallots for 3-4 minutes (medium heat). Add the cleaned mushrooms and let cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with ½ cup of chardonnay wine. Add cherry tomatoes cut in quarters and let cook for 2-3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
In the meantime, in another pan with a bit of guanciale fat, saute the shrimp for a couple of minutes each side.
To cook the gnocchi: have boiling water with a touch of salt ready. Drop the gnocchi. After 4 or 5 minutes the gnocchi should float. Once they float remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the sauce pan with the shrimps, add the mushroom sauce and finish with a touch of chopped parsley and basil.
