Recipe 2- Tasty little pillows of Goodness

Recipe 2- Tasty little pillows of Goodness

Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Sage Butternut Squash Sauce 

Now to start off... this recipe was slightly intimidating to look at.

I am going to MAKE GNOCCHI?

Yes, yes you will and it will be much easier then you think! 

As I do with most recipes, I prepare most or all of my ingredients ahead of time. 

I secretly wish that I had someone that would  chop every ingredient for me and then place them ever so nicely into those little clear bowls. I will keep wishing for that moment :) 

I would love to learn some of the chef skills when it comes to chopping things finely. They make it look so easy and effortless.

When I am chopping, it doesn't look easy or effortless. Hopefully it will come in time along this journey. I would like to keep ALL of my fingers, so I won't be trying anything like I see on TV.

How vibrant is the colour of this Butternut Squash? Beautiful! 

Next I have my favourite skillet, and I like to call her "copper bottom"

because that's what she is. ( not sure why my pan is a 'she', but lets go with it) 

I have added some of my all time, hands down favourite butter. 

Cow's Creamery Butter from P.E.I

Please try this if you can find it, it will make your cooking, baking & eating that much better.

This butter made me love butter that much more.

No into the skillet go my 'expertly' chopped onions & garlic.

I think everyone can say they enjoy the smell of the onions and garlic coming together in a pan. You just know that this dish is going to be tasty. 

Next up, the butternut squash take a leap into the pan. 

Here they will come together with the onions & garlic in perfect harmony.

My husband came home not too long after these ingredients hit the pan.

He immediately said as the door opened " wow! something smells awesome in here"

 While my pan was happily simmering, I moved on to making the Gnocchi.

Out comes my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. 

I assemble my ingredients once again and read through the instructions a million times.

 Chef Michael Smith has made this so straight forward and easy that I had to read it so many times to believe it was THAT EASY. 

In to my mixer goes the goat cheese & eggs.

Next we have some butter, parmesan cheese and salt. 

A few minutes of mixing you have a lovely fluffy mixture.

Here we add in flour and mix with a spoon.

After this you have a very soft soft, but not sticky piece of dough.

Here is where we begin shaping the Gnocchi.

I had lots of fun with this step. If you are like me as a child, then you loved making snakes out of play-dough. It took me back to my childhood just working with the dough and making these long snakes in preparation for cutting these tiny pillows of goodness. 

From here, our gnocchi will take a quick dip into a pot of boiling salty water.

Within a few minutes, you see the tiny pillows surfacing the water.

Now they are ready to unite in your pan of a amazing smelling squash.

To complete this dish, you add some fresh or dry sage.

It really brings everything together and makes this dish perfect for a cold winter day.

Its hearty and very tasty.

The gnocchi is very soft and rich. The goat cheese is not overwhelming and the texture is just perfect.

I think these would be great in a tomato based sauce as well. 

They really are delicious and my family and dear friend Jen enjoyed this tasty recipe! 

We complimented this dish with a side of Chef Michael Smith's Caesar Salad.

If you are interested in my experience making this salad, please check out Recipe Day 1

http://100recipesin52weeks.blogspot.ca/2014/01/recipe-1-not-just-caesar-salad.html

Until next time, my compliments to the chef and cheers to you my friends! 

Enjoy!