Chickpea Gnocchi!!!  Thank goodness for this fabulous outlet for all that ‘aquafaba’ (juice from a can of chickpeas that I needed for last week’s post).  Take a look here for Vegan Aquafaba Gluten Free Macarons.

As a kid, I loved helping to make gnocchi.  The standard version is made with white potatoes, but my mother always preferred to make them with ricotta because they were much lighter.  We’d roll them into a rope and cut them into little pieces and then roll them off the back of a fork to get those ridges that hold the sauce in such a way that you get this delicious, perfect ratio of gnocchi plus sauce.  It wasn’t until I read Maria’s – She Love’s Biscotti blog that I even knew that there was this amazing little gnocchi wooden board that made that part of the job so much easier.  Take a look at her beautiful work here.

But, back to this different version of one of my childhood comfort foods. Chickpeas are a very high-protein/high fiber food.  One cup of chickpeas provides 15g of protein and 12g of dietary fiber.  I like that.  And, they taste delicious.  I like making this Chickpea gnocchi from cooked chickpeas rather than chickpea flour.  I think the chickpea flour actually tastes ‘bean-y’ but the chickpeas themselves don’t.  That’s why the small amount of flour that’s in the formula is Gluten Free Farina All Purpose Flour.

And, for the sauce, I went back to my early culinary career where I remembered making a Lemon Hazelnut Cream sauce at one of my first jobs in a restaurant.  It sounded like a perfect complement to me, although I don’t think there’s a bad choice here.  Maybe next time I’ll try a Roasted Red Pepper Cream, or Vodka Cream or Pesto (now that my garden is producing tons of Basil).

And, I apologize for that finished picture.  I was so engrossed that I had no idea that the sun was going down and my husband and I chased the sun around the house to get this shot.  We ended up in the driveway with the sun setting a few minutes after this picture.  No worries.  I’ll just need to make them again to get the perfect, up-close shot.

So, here we go.  You can use canned garbanzos or you could cook them from dry beans.  Don’t forget to save the juice for other uses.

The drained chickpeas are buzzed up in your food processor until all the large pieces are gone.  You’ll combine the psyllium husk with the salt, gluten free flour and optional nutmeg.  Give it a quick stir and add it to the chickpea mash along with the ricotta and pulse until it comes together.  Add the two eggs and pulse again until it’s all incorporated.

Turn out onto a floured board.  Divide the dough into about 6 even pieces.  Roll one piece on a floured surface into a rope about 1/2″ in diameter.  Cut each rope into 3/4 to 1″ long pieces.  You don’t need to be exact here.  Flour the back of a fork or the gnocchi board, if you have one, and using your finger or your thumb, roll each piece off the board to create ridges on one side and a hollow cavity on the other.  Place gnocchi on a floured parchment-lined sheet tray.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring water to boil.  Have a separate sheet tray lined with lightly oiled foil.  Boil as many gnocchi that will fit in a single layer in the water.  It only takes 1 to 2 minutes to cook.  Once the pasta floats to the top, they are probably done.  Take one out to test to determine how long yours will take.  Don’t boil too long or these gnocchi start to fall apart. Take the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain for a minute or two.  Then turn out onto the foil-lined cookie sheet.  Continue until all the gnocchi are cooked.

Once they are all cooked, it’s time to make the Lemon Hazelnut Butter, the base for the cream sauce.  You can make the butter the day before or sooner as it keeps pretty well in the refrigerator.  See recipe below.  To make the Lemon Hazelnut Cream Sauce, you’ll reduce 1 cup of heavy cream and slowly whisk in the Lemon Hazelnut Butter to form a glorious sauce.  Add the cooked gnocchi, heat through and serve!!!

Deb Farina

Yields 6

Gluten Free Chickpea Gnocchi with Lemon Hazelnut Cream Lemon Hazelnut Cream Sauce

%http://glutenfreefarina.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GF-Chickpea-Gnocchi-finished-WITH-COPYRIGHT5-1024×680.jpgGluten Free Gnocchi made with high-protein, high fiber chickpeas in a lovely lemon hazelnut cream.

15 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

 

 

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
  • 1/2 cup (4.5 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup (2.2 ounces) Gluten Free Farina All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons (.8 ounces) psyllium husk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, grated (optional)
  • 2 Whole Eggs, Large
  • Large Pot of Boiling Water with 1 teaspoon of salt
  • Lemon Hazelnut Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons shallots, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 8 Tablespoons (4 ounces) Butter, unsalted, softened
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme (optional)
  • 1/4 cup Hazelnuts,toasted and finely ground
  • [u]Lemon Hazelnut Cream Sauce
  • [/u]
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • half recipe of Lemon Hazelnut Butter

Instructions

  1. Place chickpeas in food processor and process until no large pieces remain.
  2. Add ricotta, flour, psyllium husk, salt and optional nutmeg and pulse 2 or 3 times to combine.
  3. Add eggs and process until mixture comes together.
  4. Place mixture on lightly floured board and divide into about 6 pieces.
  5. Start bringing your large pot of salted water to a boil.
  6. Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2″ in diameter.
  7. Cut into 3/4″ to 1″ long pieces.
  8. On the back of floured fork tines or a lightly floured gnocchi board, using your thumb or index finger, roll one piece at a time off the tines of the fork to form grooves and a concave indent on the other side of the gnocchi.
  9. Place gnocchi on lightly floured parchment-lined cookie sheet.
  10. To cook gnocchi, carefully place enough gnocchi in the pot so there’s a nice even layer – not crowded. These only take a few minutes to cook. Once they start floating, remove one with a slotted spoon and test to see if it’s cooked through. If not, give them another 30 seconds and test again and you’ll get a feel for how long it will take to cook your gnocchi. Be careful not to overcook. This dough will start to fall apart if overcooked.
  11. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet..
  12. Once they’re all cooked, you’re ready for the sauce.
  13. You could use your favorite sauce or prepare the Lemon Hazelnut Cream sauce. Recipe is below.
  14. Just add the gnocchi to the heated sauce and gently stir to combine, cooking a few minutes more to get the gnocchi hot.
  15. Saute shallots in the white wine until most of the liquid has evaporated and the shallots are transluscent. Cool mixture.
  16. By hand or with a mixer, combine remaining ingredients with shallots.
  17. Place in a container or shape into a log within plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  18. For the sauce:
  19. Place 1 cup of heavy cream in a saute pan and over medium heat, reduce by one third.
  20. Add small pieces of butter at a time and stir constantly to incorporate until you have a beautifully smooth sauce. Don’t overheat. You don’t want the sauce to break.
Cuisine: Italian American | Recipe Type: Entree Sauce

http://glutenfreefarina.com/2016/05/15/gluten-free-chickpea-gnocchi-lemon-hazelnut-cream/

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