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Gnocchi

Christmas Eve Gnocchi

Christmas Eve Gnocchi: a meat-free vegetarian first course with porcini mushrooms and tomato, from a recipe by chef Daniele Persegani.
Recipe Christmas Eve Gnocchi
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 30 minutes
  • Cooking 2 hours
  • Servings for 4 people

There is a ritual that comes back year after year: making the Christmas Eve Gnocchi recipe, the stars of the table on holiday evenings, with all their warm and genuine atmosphere. Perfect for anyone who wants to serve a traditional Christmas Eve dish that is light but full of flavor, these fragrant homemade gnocchi are ideal if you’re looking for a vegetarian course with no compromise on taste. Imagine the softness of fluffy gnocchi without potatoes, made the old-fashioned way: no eggs in the dough either, just flour, milk and a pinch of salt. If you’re wondering how to make gnocchi for Christmas Eve or want to try your hand at making gnocchi at home, this is the right recipe, also for anyone looking for an egg-free gnocchi recipe or a simple gnocchi recipe for the holidays.

The magic continues with a fragrant, comforting sauce of tomato and porcini mushrooms, flavorful yet delicate, to bring to the table gnocchi with a light sauce that will win everyone over, perfect not only for Christmas Eve dinner but also for anyone who loves wholesome, satisfying dishes every day. Cooking the gnocchi in boiling water gives them a wonderful texture, ready to take on any kind of sauce.

If you’d like to explore variations and special ideas, don’t miss the Gnocchi alla Bava, with melted cheese, the refined Radicchio and Ricotta Stuffed Gnocchi or the indulgent Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Mushrooms. If you’re curious about bolder flavors, also try the Gnocchi with Pumpkin Cream and Mushrooms and the Gnocchi with Stracchino and Spinach to make every occasion even more special. Now follow along, discover all the steps and make these gnocchi for Christmas Eve dinner with us.

Ingredients for 4 people

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Method

  1. To make the Christmas Eve Gnocchi, start with the gnocchi. Heat the milk in a small saucepan with a pinch of salt.
  2. Pour the flour onto the work surface, add the hot milk and work until you have an even dough. Shape it into a block and divide it into pieces to form strips of dough.
    Christmas Eve Gnocchi, step 2: the flour and hot milk dough divided into strips
  3. Cut the strips of dough into pieces of about 1.5 centimeters to make the gnocchi. If you like, you can now roll them on a gnocchi board.
    Christmas Eve Gnocchi, step 3: the strips of dough cut into gnocchi
  4. Now make the sauce. Start by soaking the dried porcini mushrooms.
    Christmas Eve Gnocchi, step 4: dried porcini mushrooms soaking in water
  5. In a large nonstick skillet, melt a knob of butter with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Wash, trim and finely chop the carrot, celery and shallot. Add them to the skillet and sauté.
  6. Add the porcini mushrooms, squeezed dry, to the skillet and let them stew. Deglaze with the white wine and also add the water the mushrooms soaked in.
    Christmas Eve Gnocchi, step 6: the porcini stewing with the chopped vegetables and white wine
  7. Stir in the tomato paste and add some hot vegetable broth. Continue cooking over low heat for at least 2 hours, adding more broth if needed.
  8. After this time, cook the gnocchi in plenty of lightly salted water. When they are cooked, drain them and transfer them straight to the skillet with the sauce, stirring to combine.
    Christmas Eve Gnocchi, step 8: the gnocchi tossed in the skillet with the sauce
  9. Turn off the heat, divide among serving plates, garnish with chopped parsley and serve the Christmas Eve Gnocchi piping hot. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

In this recipe we made gnocchi without potatoes, but if you prefer you can use Potato Gnocchi, Ricotta Gnocchi or Pumpkin Gnocchi.

Tips

If you’re not very familiar with using dried mushrooms, we recommend reading our guide on How to Cook Dried Mushrooms.

Storage

Christmas Eve Gnocchi are best eaten right away, but if you do have leftovers, you can put them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for one day.

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