Have you ever wondered where the cauliflower got its name from, even though there are no flowers to be seen? The answer: The florets are tightly packed buds with flowers that have not yet unfolded – i.e. flowers.
Cauliflower is often eaten as a side dish, but it can do so much more and is extremely versatile. Like in this recipe, in which the cauliflower becomes delicious gnocchi.
For this you need (for 2-3 servings):
For the gnocchi:
- 400 g cauliflower
- 400 g flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the sage leaf spinach:
- 4 slices of Parma ham
- small cauliflower florets
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
- about 10 sage leaves
- 30 g butter
- approx. 100 g baby spinach
- Parmesan (optional when serving)
For the cauliflower sauce:
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 150 g cauliflower
- 50 ml white wine
- 200 ml of cream
- salt and pepper
That is how it goes:
1. First remove the leaves of the cauliflower and add about 400 g of the florets to salt water. Let them cook for about 20 minutes, then take the cauliflower out of the water with a slotted spoon and place it on a cloth.
2. Close the cloth with your hands and squeeze out the cabbage as much as possible.
3. Now put the remaining ingredients together with the cauliflower in a bowl and mix everything into a smooth dough. Then quarter the dough and form four finger-thick rolls from the pieces.
4. Then cut each roll into pieces approx. 3 cm long with a spatula.
5. Sprinkle the dough pieces with a little flour and roll them one by one over a clean comb to give the gnocchi their typical shape.
6. Then the cauliflower gnocchi are boiled in salted water until they float to the surface.
7. Now you fry the ham with a little oil in a pan until it is nice and crispy and set it aside for later. Then add the gnocchi to the pan until they take on some color.
8. Then season them with salt and pepper and add some cauliflower florets, the garlic, the sage leaves and the butter. Finally, add the spinach leaves to the pan.
9. Swirl the ingredients and then set the gnocchi aside for the time being.
10. Now prepare the sauce. To do this, cut half an onion and a clove of garlic into small cubes and put them in a saucepan with a little oil. Add the cauliflower and pour the white wine and cream over everything. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes on a low flame and then puree it with a hand blender.
11. As the last step, break the fried ham into smaller pieces and add these and some cauliflower sauce to the gnocchi. If you want, you can also sprinkle some parmesan over the cauliflower gnocchi. Simply delicious!
Cauliflower wrongly has a somewhat dusty image, because it can do a lot more than just look good. This variant of gnocchi is different than expected and just incredibly delicious.
If you can’t get enough of the white cabbage, be sure to try this cauliflower and cheese sandwich too.
