4-Cheese Gnocchi

Did you ever dream about swimming in a pool of noodles when you were a kid? I sure did. But I’m an adult now, so I now I wanna swim in a pool of cheesy gnocchi. And I want that pool to have a swim up bar that will pour me bottomless glasses of sparkling rosé while I swim in my pool of cheesy pillowy potato pasta. Is that too much to ask? I understand this dream is a bit out there, so instead I just made myself the silkiest, smoothest, CHEESIEST gnocchi there ever was. None of that granular chunkiness you sometimes get with cheesy pasta. This recipe results in a luxurious melding of Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gruyere and Fontina cheese that almost seeps into the gnocchi and creates these fabublous cheesy pillowy explosions in your mouth. I know this sounds aggressively rich, but that’s why you need pair it with with a refreshing, palate-cleansing wine!

The Pairing

I suggest pairing this decadent creation with Sparkling rosé. You can go with Champagne if you’re feeling fancy, Prosecco, Cava, whatever floats your boat! As long as it’s rosé and has those beautiful bubbles. The red fruit flavours typically found in rosé will contrast the rich cheese nicely (have you every had cheese and strawberries? SO GOOD), and the bubbles will cleanse your palate between each bite and keep you coming back for more. I’m pregnant so I paired this with a non-alcoholic sparkling rosé and it was fantastic! That being said, I haven’t had alcohol in 5 months so I’m easy to please :)

My (Affordable) Recommendations

• Prosecco Rosé: Kirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé

• Cava Rosé: Dibon Cava Brut Rosé

• Non-Alcoholic: Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Rosé

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4-Cheese Gnocchi

Yield: 2-4

Author: Stephanie Cameron

The silkiest, smoothest, cheesiest gnocchi of. all. time. Pure decadence and the ultimate comfort food! This pasta begs for a refreshing, mouth-cleansing wine pairing, so try it with your favourite sparkling rose!

Ingredients

• 1 package of Gnocchi
• 1 tbsp salt (for the boiling water)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of Gnocchi pasta water
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, finely grated
• 1 cup Aged Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup Gruyere Cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup Fontina Cheese, finely grated
• Garnish: Cayenne pepper, chopped fresh basil, ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi. As they cook they will float to the top of the water. Use a slotted spoon to retrieve them until all of your pasta is cooked. Reserve pasta water as this is needed for the cheese sauce! Set gnocchi aside in bowl and toss with olive oil and a bit of pasta water to prevent them from sticking together.
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and then add your flour. stir until well combined. You should end up with thin bubbly mixture.
3. Reduce heat to low, then add the milk and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to combine. This will start to thicken quickly.
4. Once it starts to thicken, add about 1/4 cup of pasta water and continue to stir. Do this a few times (up to 1 to 1 1/2 cups of pasta water) until your mixture is silky smooth but pretty liquidy (you'll be adding a lot of cheese to thicken it up so you want it to be more liquidy than you think).
5. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and about 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and stir to combine.
6. Now start adding the cheese 1 at a time. Between each, make sure you stir vigourously until the texture is silky smooth.
7. Once all the cheese has been incorporated, add your gnocchi! (NOTE: This will be VERY saucy. If you would prefer less sauce, add the amount of sauce you want to the gnocchi instead).
8. Garnish with fresh basil, cayenne, and fresh ground pepper and serve immediately with your favourite sparkling rose!

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