Any morel lovers out there?! I am so pleased to partner with Green Peace Canada on this blog post to raise awareness about the Boreal forest by way of this wildly delicious Cauliflower Gnocchi with Morel Mushrooms recipe! What does this recipe have to do with the Boreal forest, whatever or wherever it is?
The Boreal Forest
I live in Canada and was amazed (and um, slightly embarrassed) to only now learn that the Boreal forest is a vast eco-system that stretches across the Northern part of our planet, across Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia all the way to Russia, like a 'Green Crown' as it is also called. It is home to plants, animals and Indigenous people and accounts for nearly one third of all remaining forests on Earth.
It is also a formidable system for accumulating and absorbing enormous amounts of carbon in its soil and trees. More than all the rainforests put together! I’ll let you absorb that…Wow, right? Because of this, the Boreal forest plays an crucial role in the climate change solution.
Sadly it is under the threats of industrial logging, mining, oil extraction, agriculture and infrastructure developments which are all contributing to the degradation of the Boreal forest. Protecting it is protecting the rights of Indigenous people, biodiversity, and the climate. Or basically, all life on Earth. Kind of a big deal!
This Recipe!
To honor the Boreal forest, its importance to planet health, the food it provides and the Indigenous people who forage there and live off its land, I created this dish to feature an ingredient that grows wild there - the highly revered and much adored, morel mushrooms. Have you had it? They have a unique honeycomb appearance, with this pleasingly chewy, slightly springy and meaty texture. They have an earthy and mildly smokey flavor. They are the object of much passion and enthusiasm, as far as mushrooms go!
But I will tell you upfront, morels are considered a delicacy with a corresponding price tag! Since morels can not be cultivated, foragers must painstakingly find and gather them just when they arrive in the Spring. Fresh morels are highly anticipated and enjoyed by foodies and chefs when they come into season. However, dried morels (what I used in this recipe) can be enjoyed all year round by simply rehydrating them in water first. I purchased mine from a local company Forbes Wild Foods for about Cdn$1 per gram (or about US$.70/g). If you live elsewhere, I'm sure an internet search will help you find a source. This recipe calls for 40g (a luxurious amount) which means I spent $40 on them. Luckily the rest of the dish is simple and inexpensive. In any case, if you feel a little less flush with cash, you can reduce the amount of morels to 30g and still get the flavor and textural impact in the dish. You can also supplement some with other less expensive mushrooms you love, such as shiitake or cremini.
The other part of this recipe I am over the moon excited about is the cauliflower gnocchi. I mean, have you gotten on that train yet?! I believe it was Trader Joe's ready-made version that put cauliflower gnocchi on the map. They kind of appeared all over Instagram earlier this year. Since we Canadians don't have TJs in the country, I researched and made my own version with just two ingredients. TWO INGREDIENTS: cauliflower and gluten-free flour. That is it, friends. The dough is super easy to make and to work with, and the cauli gnocchi's come out toothsome and chewy like traditional potato gnocchi. It is not overly cauliflower-tasting, but just nicely so. The best yet, is how they fry up golden and crispy on the outsides with a little bit of oil. They are actually addictive just on their own. My eldest begs for them out of the pan.
Then, when tossed simply with sauteed morels, shallots and garlic, and finished with chives and a wee drizzle of nice balsamic vinegar to brighten everything up, you have an elevated dish fit for royalty! Or at least your most favorite dinner guests. The ones who bring very nice wine!
I hope you give this recipe a try.
For other scrumptious recipes highlighting the wild ingredients that grow in the Boreal forest, visit Green Peace Canada's page here where Yukon chef, Michelle Genest aka The Boreal Gourmet, shares recipes that bring the subtle flavors of the Boreal forest to life and to the plate. I give a special thank you to Michelle for her guidance and expertise in my own development process for this special recipe.
Food aside, I hope this post helped you connect with the Boreal forest and learn its significance in the broader climate change solution. If you are interested, watch this Green Peace video about ‘This is the Great Northern Forest’ which I found so compelling. If you feel so inclined, you can join the campaign and support Green Peace Canada's year-round work in protecting the Boreal forest and its rich biodiversity from the threats of unsustainable logging, in particular, here on their site. Thank you for reading! Let me know if you are a morel lover too and definitely if you try this recipe. I would love to know!
x
Sonia
Cauliflower Gnocchi with Morel Mushrooms
{ gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan }
Recipe serves 3-4 as a main, or more people as a side.
INGREDIENTS
For the cauliflower gnocchi:
1 small head (~1lb) white cauliflower OR 3 Cups of cauliflower 'rice'
1 tsp kosher salt
1 C plus 2 tbsp Gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)
For the dish:
40g dried morel mushroom, soaked 30min up to overnight, liquid reserved
1/3 C morel-soaking liquid
1 tbsp arrowroot flour
Avocado oil or oil of your choice
2 shallots, very thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1/2 C vegetable broth
Salt to taste
Small bunch of chives, finely chopped
For serving: a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
METHOD
Rehydrate the morel mushrooms:
Give the dried morels a quick rinse in cool water then place them in a bowl with warm water to just cover. Soak 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge if more convenient. Drain the morels but reserve 1/3 cup of the soaking liquid for the recipe. There will be sediments in the soaking liquid which you can strain through very fine mesh or just allow it to settle to the bottom and pour the 1/3 cup from the top.
Make the cauliflower gnocchi (dough can be made a day or two in advance):
If you are starting with pre-riced cauliflower, skip this and go to the next paragraph / step. If you are starting with a head of cauliflower, the first step is to break it down into florets and "rice" it in the food processor. Do them in batches so as not to overcrowd and they rice evenly. Pulse until the florets are the size of cooked rice (see image below). For my machine, it takes about 25 short pulses. Measure out 3 cups of cauliflower rice, which is what you need for this recipe.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and saute the cauliflower rice for about 5 minutes or until softened, but not mushy. Add about 1 tsp of kosher salt while sauteing. Scoop the softened cauliflower rice back into the food processor (if you don't have a full-sized food processor, make the dough in smaller batches), leaving behind any excess water that may have come out in the pot. There is no need to squeeze the water out of the cauliflower rice, but we also don't need any excess water in the dough either.
Add 1 cup of the gluten-free flour to the softened cauliflower rice and pulse until a dough begins to form. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of gf flour (or more) as needed. The dough will feel a little sticky, and that is okay! You should still be able to gather it with your fingers and roll into a slightly tacky dough ball. If you can not do this, sprinkle more gf flour and pulse to combine until you get to that stage. Stop when dough comes together but still feels slightly wet and tacky. At this point I like to chill the dough in the fridge for 5 minutes to make it easier to roll and cut into gnocchi. [Make Ahead: The dough can now be kept tightly wrapped in the fridge for a day or two until needed].
While the dough chills, fill the pot you used to saute the cauliflower with water and bring it to a boil.
On a lightly floured cutting board, cut the chilled dough into roughly 3 chunks for more manageable pieces. Then cut each chunk into four. Roll each into logs measuring about 3/4" in diameter. For each log, cut into 3/4" gnocchi or 13 equal sized pieces, give or take.
The pot of water should be boiling by now. Season it with salt the way you would when cooking pasta. In batches, blanch the gnocchi until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes or so. Set them aside on a large shallow dish. They will stick slightly to each other but you should not need to oil them as long as you don't pile them 3 or 4 deep on top of each other.
Prepare the dish:
Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the arrowroot starch in the morel soaking liquid until well combined. Set aside. Trim and cut the morels if needed, so they are all around 3/4" long.
Add a drizzle of oil to the heated pan and, working in batches, pan fry the gnocchi until golden, about 2 minutes each side. Make sure to move them around in the first 5 seconds after hitting the pan to minimize sticking. Season the gnocchi with kosher salt and set them to the side.
Add a bit more oil to saute the shallots until they begin to soften, then add the minced garlic.Continue sauteing both for a minute or so until soft and golden, then add the morels.Saute 2-3 minutes.Give the arrowroot liquid a quick whisk (it tends to separate) and add that, along with the vegetable broth, into the pan with everything.Season with salt to taste and let the liquid simmer on low to thicken, about 2 minutes.Add back the pan fried gnocchi and toss everything to coat with the sauce.Have a final taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.Remove from heat and serve with a generous sprinkle of chopped chives and drizzles of balsamic vinegar.
Enjoy!
If you like this recipe, pin it to Pinterest! You can also leave me a comment below to let me know what you think of this post - I would love that.
This post was sponsored by Green Peace Canada but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the organizations that enable me to create new content for this site!