Cauliflower Gnocchi

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outRIAAge

Washing Up
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
185
Location
Seattle
I recently got Pasta by Hand, and it's a mind-blowing book of regional hand-made pasta styles, most of which I'd never heard of.

I recommended the book to someone, saying the cauliflower gnocchi was particularly good. She quickly pointed out that the book doesn't HAVE a cauliflower gnocchi recipe, oops. I simply invented it while reading the book, and then forgot. It's an empowering book.

So, invite guests, tell them you're just making Cauliflower cheese, then serve Cauliflower gnocchi with brown butter and a snow of Parmesan. Try to not look too smug.

Cauliflower Gnocchi​

Trim the rough ends of the stalks. Cut away any unfresh-looking florets. Cut the whole head into 1/2" slices, and roast in a 300F oven on a wire rack until golden.

Rice (as in ricer) onto a baking sheet and let it steam away. The idea is to get as much water as possible out of the cauliflower, so let it sit there for a while, and stir it around when you think to do it.

Form the dough with as little flour as possible. You may even need to add a little water. It doesn't need to be totally smooth. While I was at it I ground up a little cumin and added a squirt of sriracha: those were not mistakes, but feel free.

I was always hopeless forming gnocchi with a fork, so I use this gnocchi/garganelli board. If you have young kids, gnocchi is basically Play-Dough, so let them loose on the gnocchi board.

Keep them separate, toss them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes until they bob, drain, toss with brown butter, and go to town on snowing your guests' plates at the table with fresh Parmesan.
 
I saw an old episode of Kelsey essentials the other day and a chef did potato gnocchi and made a goat cheese and parm sauce. That would fit perfect with this.
 
I just now came up with a method to improve and foolproof the recipe. The less flour that goes into the recipe, the more weightless the gnocchi will be. If the recipe isn't working for you, you're probably staring at wet glop instead of dough. Adding enough flour to get to the right texture will give you leaden bricks, so instead, use no flour at all: use Smash!-brand instant potatoes, as much as needed. Some people lust after fast cars; I lust after gnocchi that need mooring ropes to keep them on the plate.
 
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