Chanterelles a la Kathy

 

Serves: 4

 

Chef’s Note: There are two components to this dish that are prepared separately and then combined at the end.

 

 

Gnudi

Ingredients:
1 pound ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 large egg, beaten until a consistent creamy color
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

 

Gnudi Directions:

Place the ricotta, Parmesan or Romano cheese, egg, melted butter, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Stir with a fork to mix.

 

Sift the flour over the ricotta mixture.

 

Gently stir with a fork until the flour is incorporated.

 

Place a piece of parchment paper over a wooden board and dust with flour.

 

Lightly dust a baking pan with flour.

 

Remove ¼ of the dough and roll the dough out into a rope with a 1 “diameter. Cut the rope in half lengthwise. Cut pieces approximately 1/2” wide off each half rope.

 

Dust hands with flour. Roll the pieces into balls about the size of a marble and place each ball on a baking pan.

 

Repeat with the other 3 quarters of dough.

 

Bring 2 quarts of cold water to a rapid boil in a stock pot. Drop each ball individually into the water. After every 10 balls, lift pot and swirl contents to keep balls from sticking together or to the bottom. After adding the last gnudi, allow to boil for 6 minutes.

 

Remove gnudi from water with a skimmer or spider strainer and place on a clean baking pan. Set aside.

 

 

Chanterelles

 

Ingredients:

1 pound thin cut bacon strips
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 pounda fresh chanterelle mushrooms, whole

 

 

Chef’s Note: Only use fresh chanterelle mushrooms, not rehydrated. Wash thoroughly, being careful to remove any material that may be hiding in the ruffles or the gills of the cap. Remove any material below the ring.

 

 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup chicken stock
½ red sweet pepper, cut in very thin matchsticks about 1” long

 

 

Garnishes:

Smoky paprika
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 tablespoon roughly chopped curly leaf parsley

 

 

Chanterelle Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

 

Lay bacon flat in an oven-proof dish.

 

Once oven is heated, place bacon in the center of the oven.

 

Bake for 20 minutes (may vary with the thickness of the bacon) until bacon is crisp, but not hard.

 

Remove bacon from oven and cut in ½ inch wide pieces. Set aside.

 

Heat a large skillet.

 

When skillet is hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, add chanterelles with the capa down and the stems up.

 

Once all the mushrooms are in the skillet, shake the skillet to make certain none of the mushrooms are sticking to the skillet.

 

 

Chef’s Note: The objective is to keep the mushrooms whole and unbroken.

 

 

Saute until the mushrooms are lightly browned, shaking the skillet every few minutes to make sure the caps do not stick to the skillet.

 

Add chicken stock, butter and thyme.

 

When butter is melted, carefully remove chanterelles from the skillet, leaving sauce in the skillet.

 

Place skillet over medium heat and add cooked gnudi to the sauce. Saute, shaking the skillet and rolling the gnudi through the sauce, until heated through.

 

Add chanterelles, bacon and red sweet pepper to gnudi in skillet.

 

When heated through, place on serving platter with chanterelle caps facing up.

 

Sprinkle first with grated Parmesan or Romano, then paprika and finally, the parsley.

 

Serve.