10/04/12 - 0 Comments
Recipe of the Week: Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Toasted Walnuts
The ladies in London already know that, aside from offering some amazingly luxurious rooms, the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel is home to some of the UK’s best chefs and hottest menus. From a killer eggs benedict to designer cocktails, chefs Paul Bates and Theo Randall have completely wowed us with their culinary creations. Really, if you haven’t been, you’re missing out!
Now, if you’re one of our lovely New York readers, you’re probably getting a little jealous. Granted, it’s not always easy to hop on a jet and cross the Atlantic for a killer meal. Well, ladies, we are happy to announce that you no longer have to venture to London to experience a taste of the InterContinental’s exceptional cooking. In fact, sampling the InterContinental’s take on gourmet fare is as easy as venturing up to 44th Street and the InterContinental new York Times Square’s Ça Va brasserie.
Chef Matt Corbett, the head chef at Ça Va, leads the culinary charge with his innovative dishes that focus on fresh ingredients and seasonal flavors. Trust us, there is nothing more satisfying than dining on a roasted pumpkin and ricotta crêpe—a new item on Ça Va’s menu—as the weather starts to cool.
This week, we are particularly lucky, because chef Corbett has kindly offered to teach us a few tricks of his trade. We’ll be cooking a ricotta gnocchi with roasted brussels sprouts and toasted walnuts, a recipe that you’re going to want to practice a few times before the holidays. Seriously, ladies, can you imagine how impressed your friends will be when you tell them that you know how to make fresh pasta? No worries, we promise that there will be plenty to share.
Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Toasted Walnuts
Serves 4
Pasta Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh ricotta
2 cups all purpose flour (plus bench flour—i.e., the flour you put on your counter before you begin kneading the dough)
1 tsp. white pepper, ground
1 egg
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped fine
1/2 tsp. salt, kosher
Pasta Instructions:
Combine all of the ingredients, kneading the dough to incorporate all components (yep, this is where the bench flour becomes important—seriously, don’t forget it, or you’ll leave your countertop a mess). Do not over mix.
Allow the dough to relax for 10 minutes and then begin forming the pasta into 1 inch wide tubes (you know, the shape of gnocchi).
Freeze the pasta on a cookie sheet to store.
Sauce Ingredients:
1 lb. brussels sprouts
1 oz. sage leaves (best when fresh)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt, kosher
1 cup walnut pieces
Sauce Instructions:
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
Remove all of the dark, tough outer leaves from the brussels sprouts. Then, with a sharp paring knife, split the sprouts in half lengthwise.
Put ingredients (including the halved brussels sprouts) in a mixing bowl and toss until the sprouts are coated evenly with salt and oil.
Lay the sprouts flat across a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until the sprouts are knife tender. Once cooked, discard the sage leaves and reserve warm.
Meanwhile, as the nuts and sprouts are cooking, fill a medium stock pot two thirds full with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring the water to boil and add the gnocchi in one motion. Cook for roughly 8 minutes, or until the gnocchi has slightly increased in size and floated to the water’s surface.
Strain the pasta and add all ingredients to a large pasta serving dish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!
Want to see how chef Corbett does his gnocchi? Well, you’re in luck, because, this season, gnocchi is on Ça Va’s menu, and it’s delicious (and vegetarian!). Chef Corbett’s ricotta gnocchi with herbed tomato sauce, arugula pesto and parmesan cheese is a delightful twist on this ricotta gnocchi with roasted brussels sprouts and toasted walnuts recipe—and it pairs excellently with the savory roasted pumpkin and ricotta crêpe! Stop by Ça Va anytime (seriously, the gnocchi’s so good that they serve it for brunch, lunch and dinner) to give it a try. Believe us, it’s excellent.
Photo credit: InterContinental New York Times Square
