This is an adaptation of a friend’s recipe. There is something about gnocchi in a creamy sauce that just really works for me. Everything is roasted together, blended and the gnocchi is seared before mixing. Fancy stuff!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients for 2 servings

  • 300g potatoes, peeled
  • 160g flour
  • 40g olive oil
  • 400g butternut squash
  • 80g cashews, soaked
  • 200g oyster mushrooms
  • 200ml vegetable stock (or water)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • chili flakes (to taste)
  • lime (zest + juice)
  • salt, black pepper

Steps

  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and let them cool down a bit. Grate them finely or pass through a ricer. Add the flour and 20g of olive oil, pinch of salt and mix well. Knead the dough for 90 seconds or so, it should be soft and not sticky. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour. Do not over-knead it, otherwise the gnocchi will be tough.
  2. Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll each into a long tube, about 1.5cm in diameter. Cut the tube into 2cm pieces and roll each piece over a fork to create the gnocchi shape. Set aside. You can adjust the size of the gnocchi to your liking.
  3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Roast cubed and sliced butternut squash with garlic and salt for 20–25 min until caramelized. Roast pumpkin seeds separately until crispy.
  4. Tear oyster mushrooms. Sear in a hot pan with a little oil until deeply browned. Season at the end with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
  5. Blend soaked cashews with ~150–200ml hot water until completely smooth.
  6. Blend roasted squash (flesh only), garlic, cashew cream and stock/water until silky. Adjust thickness and seasoning.
  7. Boil gnocchi until they float (2–3 min). Drain well.
  8. Heat a wide pan with remaining olive oil. Sear gnocchi until golden and slightly crisp on both sides.
  9. Warm the sauce separately, then add gnocchi and toss briefly (30–60 sec) to coat.
  10. Finish with lime juice. Plate with sauce first, then gnocchi, mushrooms and crispy seeds. Add lime zest, chili flakes, and olive oil if you’re feeling so inclined.