Parisian Gnocchi “Stroganoff”

“Parisian Gnocchi is an inspired starter that came from the idea of having a pasta-like dish on the menu that is comforting and familiar,” says chef Adam R. Weiss of Esty Street in Park Ridge. “Beef Stroganoff came to me as the center point using the classic ingredients: filet mignon tips, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and sour cream.”

Photo by Laura Moss.

“I updated the dish to use gnocchi in place of buttered noodles and ground the filet mignon tips to give a dish a softer texture,” Weiss continues. “Still keeping with tradition, I used sautéed wild mushrooms and caramelized onions to add another bite along with the zing of crème fraiche, sherry and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is one of the most popular dishes at Esty Street.

Serves 6 as appetizers

PARISIAN GNOCCHI DOUGH
1 ½ cups water
4 ounces butter
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
4 eggs
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

Preparation:

1.    Bring the water, butter, and kosher salt to a boil in a medium sized pot.
2.    Off the heat add the sifted flour with a whisk, then place on medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball.
3.    Transfer the dough into an electric mixer with the paddle attachment.
4.    Add the eggs, one at a time until the dough is semi-soft.
5.    Finish the dough with Parmigiano-Reggiano, chopped parsley and tarragon.
6.    Let the dough rest one hour.
7.    Bring a pot of water to a low boil.
8.    Transfer the gnocchi dough into a pastry bag with a 1-inch wide plain tip.
9.    Using a scissor cut the dough into one inch pieces over the simmering water in small batches.
10.    Once the gnocchi have risen to the top and turned (about two to three minutes), scoop out the gnocchi into another pot with ice cold water to stop the cooking process.  Transfer to a clean toweled lined pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
11.    At this point the gnocchi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days or frozen for up to a month.

FILET MIGNON STROGANOFF
2 pounds ground filet mignon or your ground beef of choice
2 large Spanish onions, chopped
Kosher salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups dry sherry
1 cup veal stock or beef broth
1 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

1.    In a Dutch oven, heat the cooking oil over medium high heat. Add the ground filet, kosher salt and ground black pepper and brown the meat, stirring to break into smaller pieces.
2.    Add the chopped onions to the meat and cook until softened.
3.    Drain off the excess fat.
4.    Deglaze the pan with the dry sherry and reduce slightly for about 5 minutes.
5.    Add the veal stock and the heavy cream to the meat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the mixture is reduced and thickened, about thirty minutes.
6.    Cool off the mixture and refrigerate if you are not serving right away.
7.    Add the crème fraiche just before serving the dish.

TO FINISH
1 cup cooking oil
Gnocchi from above
2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms, sautéed until golden brown
4 large onions, sliced and caramelized in whole butter
Filet mignon Stroganoff from above
1 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
Kosher salt to taste
2 cups shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, using a peeler or truffle shaver

Preparation:

1.    In a large sauté pan, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat.
2.    Add the gnocchi and turn to brown all sides.
3.    Drain off the excess oil.
4.    Add the sautéed wild mushrooms, caramelized onions and the stroganoff base.
5.    Bring to a boil and reduce slightly over medium heat.
6.    Finish the Parisian gnocchi stroganoff with the crème fraiche. Check seasoning by using kosher salt if necessary.
7.    Place into individual bowls and finish with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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