I spent the entire afternoon yesterday deciding what I wanted to make for dinner. This included over an hour spent on the internet scouring my usual recipe inspiration sources; foodgawker and my delicious account, where I have bookmarked hundreds of recipes for a later date.

Nothing I saw was appealing to me whatsoever, not soup, not stew, not tacos, nothing. I kind of wanted pasta but didn’t want wheat and I kind of wanted a meatless meal but also needed to make it hearty enough for my stepfather to not feel ripped off. Gnocchi finally crossed my mind… but with what??

While at the local Fresh Co yesterday I saw they had an abundance of fresh mushrooms and at a very reasonable price. Want to know one of the best things about mushrooms?? A lot of them are grown here in Canada, in Ontario in fact.

I scooped up a box of enoki, a box of shiitake, and two boxes of crimini that, in total, made about 2 lbs worth. Since I like a higher mushroom to gnocchi ratio than most recipes call for I only used 1 lb of gnocchi even though the original recipe called for two. I also completely forgot about the truffle oil, doh! Which I can only imagine would have taken the dish up to a whole new level, but to be honest I’m not sure how that would even be possible since it was so delicious without.

This recipe, in my opinion, is a show stopper. I realize that it isn’t very sexy, but unless you are diametrically opposed to mushrooms I believe that you will not only enjoy it but will also dream about this dish for years to come. I’m excited to whip this up for a dinner party someday, although it’s not the prettiest it is simple, quick, and is full of layers of rich flavour.

Mushroom Gnocchi

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp butter

2 lbs mixed mushrooms, destemmed if necessary and thickly sliced

2 shallots, minced

1/4 dry vermouth

3/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp chopped thyme, fresh or dried

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb fresh or frozen prepared gnocchi

6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp white truffle oil

Preheat the broiler. In a large oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil with the butter. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook until evaporated. Add the stock, cream and thyme, season with salt and pepper; bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Drain well. Add the gnocchi to the mushrooms and simmer, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan on top.

Broil the gnocchi 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Drizzle with truffle oil and serve.