Cauliflower gnocchi
I’m back! I know it’s been a minute since I last posted, but life has been, well….full. Full in the most positive sense, in that time has become one difficult-to-find and very precious thing. And full in the sense that I am continually being abundantly blessed with new opportunities and challenges. With that said, I have found a few moments here and there to experiment with some new dishes. Among one of these is my cauliflower gnocchi!
Gnocchi made from cauliflower? Yes, it’s possible!
Lately, my instagram newsfeed has been flooded with posts about grain-free baking, mostly due to the fact that I follow a lot of paleo and grain-free inspired folks out there. But nevertheless, I have come across many posts about cauliflower gnocchi. About what a fantastic, grain-free alternative to traditional gnocchi it is. Trader Joes even makes its own version, sold in the freezer section, that I keep reading rave testimonials about. I figured I ought to find out for myself what this whole cauli-gnocchi business was all about! And since I keep forgetting to pick up a package every time I walk into the store, I figured why not try making it at home from scratch?
Otto’s Cassava Flour brand has a recipe for grain-free cauliflower gnocchi using cassava flour. Two simple ingredients: cassava flour and cauliflower. How difficult could it be? Cassava flour is an excellent grain-free flour made from none other than the yucca root, a starchy, tuber-like root vegetable. Cassava flour is made from dried and ground yucca root, unlike tapioca, which is just the starch extracted from the root. When used in baked goods, cassava flour lends a rather chewy texture and holds together very well. I had only baked with the starchy flour before, so I was apprehensive about cooking with it.
I steamed a large head of cauliflower until it was slightly overcooked, then I pureed it in my food processor. I poured in a heaping amount of cassava flour and mixed it until it was all combined and formed a nice smooth dough. I chilled it for about 30 minutes so that the dough would be easier to work with (not as loose), then rolled the dough into tiny little gnocchi balls. There are many ways to shape gnocchi: you can get fancy with it and roll the dough out into logs and cut off even potions, you can gently roll them against the back of a fork to create that iconic “ridged” gnocchi look.
You can either refrigerate the gnocchi for a few minutes to firm up before boiling, or freeze them for a later use. I froze mine so I could enjoy them any time I would be in a pinch for dinner. They cook up just perfectly straight from the frozen state in only a matter of minutes!
After boiling the gnocchi, I gently tossed them with some homemade vegan pesto I had defrosted from the freezer, fresh spinach, and defrosted green peas. What a delicious combination! The gnocchi were a little chewy, but still overall very tasty with the pesto, peas, and greens!
Cauliflower gnocchi with pesto, peas, and greens
1 medium head of cauliflower
1 1/2 cup cassava flour
1 cup peas
3 cups spinach
1/2 cup vegan pesto, more if needed
Wash and pat dry the cauliflower. Cut into medium to small sized florettes. Steam the cauliflower in a steamer or shallow pan with water until slightly overcooked. Allow the cauliflower to cool for a few minutes. Toss cauliflower into the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the cauliflower puree into a bowl and mix in the cassava flour until a smooth dough forms. Chill for about 30 minutes.
Roll the dough into small bite-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for about 10 minutes or freeze for a later use.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently drop in the gnocchi and allow to cook for about 8 minutes or until the gnocchi begin to float to the top. Carefully remove the cooked gnocchi from the water using a spider and place into a large serving bowl. Toss the fresh spinach with the hot gnocchi so as to allow the greens to wilt. Gently toss in the pesto and peas. Serve immediately!