Gnocchi with Asparagus in Lemony White Wine Sauce

I finally nailed my gnocchi recipe! I am incredibly proud. Especially since I had been craving it for months. Here I paired it with asparagus in a almondy lemony white wine sauce that closely approximates a white wine cream. That was all topped with some crispy chickpeas and roasted cherry tomatoes.

It all paired together really well: a nutty zesty sauce with an earthy chickpea crunch, plus sweet hearty tomatoes all on top of perfect potato pillows.

I am not going to lie though, this is time consuming, particularly the gnocchi itself. It was also nice to have a second set of hands too when it came to boiling and crisping the gnocchi so it didn’t burn. So maybe save this for special occasions or when you wanna spend time cooking with someone.

A few things about making the gnocchi:

• The potatoes need to be mashed well with no lumps or clumps
• The chickpea flour and flax seed serve as an excellent binder, I don’t think other options would work as well
• When making the dough, it is important that it is dry enough and starts to pull away from the side of the bowl
• Do not skip the kneading, the dough needs to be tackier to roll it out
• Last have fun with the shapes! It much more rewarding when your noodles are cuties

The gnocchi is boiled after the shapes are made in order to give them a chewy texture. They should boil until they start to bob to the top. We then tossed them in a buttered pan to give them a little crisp and so they wouldn’t stick together as much. I recommend doing this in batches in order to keep a handle on thing.

Ingredients

Gnocchi

• 2 large russet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups GF all purpose flour plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 8 tbsp. liquid drained from chickpeas (“aquafaba”)
• 2 tbsp. chickpea flour
• 1 tsp. salt

White wine sauce

• 1 yellow onion – thinly sliced and quartered
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tsp. multipurpose seasoning (recipe here)
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 4 tbsp. vegan butter or more olive oil
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2 cups dry white wine (we used a vidal blanc)
• 1/2 cup dairy free milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. Lemon zest
• 1/2 cup. lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

Crispy chickpeas

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 tsp. multipurpose seasoning
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• pepper to taste

Roasted cherry tomatoes

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved long ways
• 1 tsp oil
• salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Instructions

Gnocchi

1. Peel and boil potatoes until they are well done and can easily be punctured with a fork. Drain in a colander and let cool (I left mine in the sink and started the other parts)
2. Meanwhile combine 2 tbsp. flax with 5 tbsp. of aquafaba, additionally combine 2 tbsp chickpea flour and 3 tbsp. aquafaba. Set both aside to thicken while potatoes cool.
3. Transfer cooled and drained potatoes into a mixing bowl and mash, ensuring no large clumps remain.
4. Add in chickpea and flax mixtures and salt. Add gf flour in 1/2 cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each addition. It may become tough to mix but keep at it! The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl slightly but still be a bit shaggy.
5. Turn dough onto a well floured surface (I use a combo of chickpea and all purpose flour, about 1:3). Knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed. You will probably use another 1/2 cup of flour. The goal is to make the dough more tacky so it can be rolled and sliced.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and cut into 6 roughly even pieces. Roll each piece into an 1/2 inch thick rope, as if you were making pretzels.
7. Cut the ropes into 1 inch pieces and shape as you’d like (pictures of how I achieved mine are below). Place on a baking tray
8. Heat 1 tsp vegan butter or olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
9. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and drop the gnocchi in about 15 at a time.
10. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon when they float to the top. Immediately transfer to the heated pan. Move the pieces around until they have a nice even crisp.
11. Remove from pan and store on a plate in the microwave or oven. Repeat 8 – 11 until all gnocchi is cooked.

White wine sauce

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat and add in onions and multipurpose seasoning. Saute for 2 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low and allow onions to caramelize, stirring occasionally. I do this while boiling potatoes for the gnocchi
3. Increase heat to medium and add butter, paprika, lemon zest, and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk together almond flour, nutritional yeast, and corn starch. Add into butter mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Slowly add in dairy free milk while stirring, the mixture should become creamier
6. Pour in white wine, lemon juice, and asparagus. Simmer for 2 minute and then reduce heat to low for at least 10 minute or while everything else comes together.
7. Adjust flavor as needed

Crispy chickpeas

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas (saving liquid for gnocchi). Pat dry between 2 paper towels
3. Place chickpeas in a pan with all other ingredients and shake to coat
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until crispy and golden

Roasted cherry tomatoes

1. Add cherry tomato halves with oil and seasonings to a pan over medium high heat.
2. Saute until they begin to crinkle and lose their shape

To plate place gnocchi in a bowl or on a plate, top with sauce, then tomatoes, then chickpeas. This is really a whole project but is so worth it in the end.

Enjoy!