Recipe: Zuni Cafe Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Wild Mushrooms

ZUNI CAFE RICOTTA GNOCCHI
WITH ROASTED WILD MUSHROOMS

FOR THE MUSHROOMS:
1 1/2 pounds wild mushrooms, such as cepes, morels, or chanterelles
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or herbs of your choice)
2 to 4 tablespoons juice from roasted chicken or game bird (optional)
FOR THE GNOCCHI:
1/2 pound ricotta cheese, drained
2 large eggs
Scant pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1 to 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

TO PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

If mushrooms are dry and not gritty, brush or wipe them clean. If they are very wet, hard to brush, or gritty, fill a deep bowl with water, plunge the mushrooms into the water and agitate them with your hands. Lift the mushrooms out of the water and drain. Repeat the process with clean water until the mushrooms are clean. (You should never have to do this with cepes.)

Cut mushrooms into half-inch wedges or chunks. Place in a baking pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with olive oil, wine, thyme sprigs or other herbs, and bird juices, if using.

Cover and roast 30-40 minutes. When a good deal of juice has rendered, pour the juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by one-third. Set aside.

Increase the oven to 425 degrees F. Uncover and brown the mushrooms slightly. Pour a little of the reduced and well-seasoned mushroom juice over the cooked mushrooms and set aside.

TO PREPARE THE GNOCCHI:
In a medium-sized bowl, stir ricotta with a wooden spoon, until the cheese reaches a uniform consistency. Add eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and stir vigorously. Add butter, then flour in two batches. Stir in gently -- gnocchi will toughen if stirred too much. (The dough will keep, refrigerated, for 2-3 days.) On a floured work surface, roll dough into a cylinder shape. Cut into approximately 32 pieces and roll each piece into an oval dumpling shape with thumb.

TO FORM AND STORE THE FORMED GNOCCHI:
For up to a couple of hours before serving, you can lay them out on sheet pans covered with floured parchment paper. Group a serving amount together. When ready to poach, cut off a section of the paper that has the number of gnocchi you want to serve, hold it over the pot of simmering water and scoot them into the water.

TO COOK AND SERVE:
In a large pot of just-boiling salted water, simmer gnocchi gently until set in the center, not runny, about 3-4 minutes depending on the size. Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon and gently place in shallow soup plates. Spoon roasted mushrooms into soup plates and drizzle with the reduced mushroom juices.

Servings: 6-8
From: Kelsie Kerr, Zuni Cafe in San Francisco
Source: Great Women Chefs by Julie Stillman