Gnocchi with wild mushroom ragout

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Half a large onion, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 0.9 kg of wild mushrooms with stems trimmed, caps cut into cubes if they are large
• 110 g of mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 0.5 tsp ground coriander
• 0.5 tsp ground fennel seeds
• A pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 0.7 kg fresh gnocchi, see step-by-step recipe with photos
• Mascarpone cheese and/or fresh mint, to serve

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add half the wild mushrooms and cook until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then push the vegetables and mushrooms toward the sides of the pan. Add the remaining olive oil and wild mushrooms and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add the button mushrooms and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine; cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for about 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 cups of water, bay leaf, coriander, fennel, red pepper flakes, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes (thin with water if necessary). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stir, and cook for 1 minute after they float to the surface, about 3 minutes total.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mixture to the saucepan and gently stir over low heat. Serve with mascarpone and/or mint.
   
   

   Gnocchi

5. Bake 450g of potatoes in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F) until fully cooked, about 1 hour. Cool slightly, then cut in half and mash with a potato masher. If you prefer, mash with a fork.
6. Add 1 egg, 120 g of grated cheese, 4 tbsp of melted butter, 1 tsp of coarse salt, and ground black pepper to taste to the potatoes; mash with a fork. Add 1/4 cup of flour and knead into a loose dough, adding more flour as needed if the dough is sticky.
7. On a floured surface, gather the dough into a ball and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 30 cm long log.
8. Cut the dough into equal pieces and place on floured baking sheets. Freeze until ready to use. Frozen gnocchi can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 1 month..