At the end of last year, I received samples of various Bella Sun Luci Premium Sun Dried Tomatoes from Mooney Farms in Chico, California, the largest producer of Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil in the United States.
I immediately used one of the samples, the Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes with Zesty Peppers, to prepare the sun-dried tomato jus to accompany the the Slow Roasted Duck Breast Filet with Old Hickory Smoked Salt.
In today's recipe, I used the Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil & Herbs halves to make sun-dried tomato gnocchi. I served the gnocchi with the earthy and sweet morel mushroom broth as well as Gorgonzola foam.
Ingredients:
gnocchi
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil & Herbs - Halves, drained
1 cup flour
morel mushroom broth
2 cups stock
1/2 oz dried morel mushrooms
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 sprig rosemary
Gorgonzola foam
2 cups fat free milk
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Directions:
morel mushroom broth
Grind the dried morel mushrooms into a fine powder in a spice or a coffee grinder. Place in a pot, along with stock. Bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add mirin, soy sauce and a sprig of rosemary. Continue to boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Strain.
gnocchi
In a food processor, mix ricotta cheese, egg, and sun-dried tomatoes to blend. Season with salt, pepper, or any spices to taste (or if using sun-dried tomatoes that are already seasoned skip this step).
In a large bowl, stir the sun-dried tomato ricotta mixture with flour. Then knead the dough gently with your hands to form a ball. Sprinkle with a little more flour if necessary. Divide the dough in small balls. Roll each into a thin "rope". Slice into 1-inch pieces and flick them with a fork.
Boil water in a large pot to boil. Salt and add the gnocchi. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the gnocchi float to the top. Drain gently.
Gorgonzola foam
Place milk and Gorgonzola cheese in a small saucepan over medium heat. Start whisking the mixture and continue to whisk fast until the foam starts to form at the top (can also use the immersion blender). Do not allow the milk-gorgonzola mixture to boil. After enough foam has formed, take the saucepan off the heat, an continue to whisk until the amount of foam has doubled.
to assemble:
Ladle the desired amount of morel mushroom broth onto each plate. Arrange the gnocchi all around and carefully spoon the Gorgonzola foam on top of the gnocchi.
