Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Spinach Sauce and Beurre Noisette

I can now check another item off the list of things I've never made before...Gnocchi! Last week, at the Farmers' Market, I scored a small bushel of butternut squash.

I don't have one of those cute little gnocchi boards to roll gnocchi (since I've never made them before) but it's on my wish list now.  I found this wonderful You Tube video on how to make traditional gnocchi.  It was very helpful to me on how to mix, roll and shape the gnocchi.  Since I used butternut squash instead of potatoes, however, I found these gnocchi a little soft because of the higher water content of the squash. Leaving them in the classic pillow shape was just right.

I actually baked the squash two days before and mixed, formed and boiled the gnocchi the day before I served it. This helped me strain any excess moisture out of the squash and made the last minute prep a breeze. The gnocchi was simply sauteed in browned butter to reheat it before serving with the freshly-made spinach sauce.

I was truly in butternut squash and pasta heaven!  If you've never tried making gnocchi, give it a try!  It's not difficult, especially when made in stages as I did.

Edit: Last night I forgot to add a photo of my favorite way to grate fresh nutmeg which is used in this recipe.  I use a microplane grater.  If you've never had freshly grated nutmeg you are missing out on a real treat!

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Spinach Sauce & Beurre Noisette
Adapted from The Pasta Bible by Christian Teubner, Silvio Rizzi and Tan Lee Leng
Printable Recipe

*My recipe includes directions for preparing the butternut squash two days ahead and the gnocchi one day ahead. You can do everything the same day, if desired.

For the gnocchi you will need:

1 small butternut squash, about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds
1 egg
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper (about 1 rounded tsp and 1/2 tsp respectively)

For the spinach sauce you will need:

1/2 pound fresh spinach
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup white wine (I actually substituted Pom Juice since I didn't have a bottle of wine open. It worked great!)
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon cream (I used half & half)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg

To serve you will need:

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons butter, melted and lightly browned (beurre noisette)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the squash on a baking sheet and pierce with a sharp knife in several places. Bake for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a knife can be inserted easily. Allow the squash to cool until easy to handle and cut it in half. Remove the seeds and fiber and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and force it through a potato ricer. You will need about 1 packed cup of riced squash. Alternately, you can place the flesh in a food processor until lightly pureed. You just don't want any lumps. *At this point, I placed the squash in a fine-meshed strainer over a bowl, covered and refrigerated it and allowed the excess moisture to drain out overnight.

To make the gnocchi:

Mix the riced or pureed and strained squash with the egg, flour, Parmesan, salt and pepper and work into a smooth dough. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour. Taking plum-sized pieces of dough, roll into a rope about 1/2 thick on a floured surface. With a knife, cut the rope into pieces about 1 inch wide. They will resemble a pillow. Dust with more flour, if necessary, to keep them from sticking together. Repeat with the rest of the dough. I left the gnocchi in the pillow shape because they were a little too soft to roll into traditional gnocchi shapes on a gnocchi board or over a fork. I'm sure this is a result of the squash having more water content than gnocchi made with potatoes.

Have a large bowl of ice water ready near your cooking area. Cook the gnocchi in batches in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes or until the gnocchi rise to the surface. Using a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi when they are done and place in the bowl full of ice water to stop the cooking. (Or, instead of putting them in ice water, you can serve immediately). When all the gnocchi are cooked and chilled in the ice bath, drain and place in a bowl. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the gnocchi overnight.*

To make the spinach sauce:

Wash and trim the spinach. In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté the onion until softened. Add the spinach, toss and cook until wilted. Puree the spinach mixture in a food processor. Combine the pomegranate juice and meat stock in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to about 1/2 cup. Add the spinach puree and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the cream. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and keep warm.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the 6 tablespoons of butter (I used less) and allow it to brown lightly. Drain most of the butter into a pyrex dish leaving enough in the pan to saute the gnocchi. Add the already-cooled gnocchi and saute until heated through, adding more browned butter, if needed.

Place the spinach sauce on a serving plate, add the sauteed gnocchi and drizzle the rest of the browned butter over the top. Add grated Parmesan and serve.

*Notes: The squash can be baked, riced and allowed to drain two days before serving and the gnocchi can be prepared the day before serving.

Creamed Spinach (Channeling My Inner Popeye)

My husband loves creamed spinach! I never make it at home because I just can't justify ruining a perfectly good vegetable with unnecessary fat and calories.

Over the weekend, I made an exception as I had bought a huge amount of fresh spinach when I made the Bacon, Egg and Spinach Salad in my last post and I needed a recipe to use up the remainder and keep the husband happy while making him eat spinach twice in three days.

I had read such good reviews of Emeril Lagasse's Creamed Spinach I decided to give it a try.  I channeled my inner Popeye to eliminate at least a little of the fat.

Instead of the heavy cream and whole milk in Emeril's recipe, I substituted fat free half and half and fat free milk.

The extra fat from the heavy cream and whole milk were not missed in the least and it was still wonderfully creamy with the reduced fat roux and the addition of the cheeses. The sauteed shallots and garlic were perfect compliments.  

I hope you give this a try if you like creamed spinach - it's a winner!

The recipe...

Creamed Spinach á la Lagasse
Adapted from this recipe by Emeril Lagasse.
Printable Recipe

Serves 2-4 depending on how much you love creamed spinach (keeping in mind how much fresh spinach shrinks after cooking)!

2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup fat free half and half (light cream)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon garlic, thinly sliced and then chopped
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups fat free milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper if you have it, otherwise freshly ground black pepper is just fine
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Jarlsberg (that's what I had one hand) or Swiss cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Fill a very large pot 2/3 full with water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with very cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze out as much water as possible, either with your hands or place the spinach in a clean kitchen towel and twist the ends tightly. Finely chop the spinach and set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the fat free half and half and bring to a low boil. Remove from the heat.

In large, heavy saucepan (large enough to hold the cooked spinach), melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft for about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until a very light brown roux forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk in a steady stream, stirring constantly with a whisk, and cook until thick, for about 1 minute. Add the seasonings and simmer on low heat for about 3 minutes. Add the hot cream, whisking constantly, and cook for another 1 minute. Fold in the grated cheeses and mix until smooth. Add the spinach, mix well and heat until completely warmed through.

Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve immediately.

Spinach, Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Hello Fall....Hello Soup!

It was a dreary, drizzly first full day of fall here today so I decided to make soup for dinner. With fresh tomatoes, basil and parsley still available from the garden, I had everything I needed to put this soup together - including some homemade chicken stock from the freezer.

This is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes. The first time I made it was eleven years ago when it was given to my husband and I to prepare for an Italian-themed gourmet group event hosted by friends. I don't know where the recipe originally came from but the photocopy included in our gourmet menu packet looks like it came from a cookbook.

The addition of spinach to this otherwise classic Italian soup makes it even more healthy and delicious. A good handful of freshly grated Parmesan and some snipped parsley garnish this wonderful early fall soup. Satisfying and healthy!

Spinach, Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Source Unknown
Printable Recipe

Serves 6

1 cup dried white beans (I use 1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small bunch spinach (or bagged – about a cup, cut into thin julienne)
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped, or 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, well-drained.
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
¾ cup dry pasta such as Ditalini
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Garnish

Freshly grated Parmesan

1. If using dry beans, soak overnight in enough cold water to cover generously or do a quick soak by bringing them to a boil in just enough water to cover, boiling for 2 minutes, then covering and letting stand for 1 hour. Drain.

2. In a 6-quart soup pot over medium heat, heat the oil, add the onions, and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic, stock, beans (only if using dried), tomatoes and basil and simmer for about 30 minutes, partially covered.

3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles or pasta in boiling water, drain and reserve.

4. Add the beans now if using canned cannelini beans. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor making sure the vegetables still have some texture.

5. Return the pot of soup to medium-high heat, add the julienne of spinach and pasta. Cook for only about 5 minutes, then add salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and taste for seasoning.

6. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley and parmesan.

This soup can be prepared up to 3 days ahead through step 5 and then refrigerated. You can also freeze the soup. Adjust seasonings and add fresh herbs after reheating frozen soup.

Orzo Salad - Garden to Table!

This salad is the perfect way to use cherry tomatoes from your garden if you grow them.  Or, visit your local farmers' market if you have one.  If you can get freshly grown local tomatoes they are the best!

We were served this salad at a friend's home in Georgia when we were there to visit last year she was kind enough to share the recipe with me. I made it for lunch today and it is as delicious as I remembered!

With grated lemon zest, cherry or grape tomatoes and fresh spinach and basil, it is full of fresh, healthy and tasty flavors. Two of my favorite things to grow in the summer are tomatoes and basil, a wonderful combination.

If you are craving salads like I am, I hope you give this one a try!

The original recipes does not call for Mediterranean Salt salt but I think it adds a wonderful flavor. I love using Sarah's Mediterranean Sea Salt.

Orzo Salad with Spinach, Tomatoes and Basil
Printable Recipe

Serves 4-6

1 lb of fresh spinach (baby or regular), washed, dried and stems removed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
The zest of 2 lemons
1 and 1/2 cups orzo, cooked according to package directions and drained
24 basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt (or Mediterranean Sea Salt) and Pepper

Pile the spinach leaves into stacks and slice thinly into julienne strips. Prepare the basil leaves the same way. Halve the tomatoes and zest the lemons.

Cook the orzo.

Place the julienne spinach into a medium bowl, add the halved tomatoes and lemon zest. After the orzo is drained, add the hot, cooked orzo to the same bowl. The heat of the orzo will wilt the spinach and warm the tomatoes. Drizzle with the olive oil, add the sliced basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, toss and either serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

It tastes best served immediately but is still wonderful cold. This salad would also be wonderful with toasted pine nuts!