My personal challenge this year, is to recreate foods of my country, Nigeria.
As I’m learning, this is a whole sea of opportunity. So when I saw Kerstin of Cake, Batter & Bowl’s dessert gnocchi with chocolate centres,…I was seriously impressed!
The first time I made them, they tasted just ok. In my hurry, I’d neglected to add the flour to the gnocchi dough in small portions. Anyhow, I proceeded to the end and when I presented them before taste tester number one, he loved them. He was completely taken in by the ‘daring’ and the ‘doing’ something new.
If I had to list hubby’s pet peeves, number one on his list would be ‘unadventorous’ dare I say, Nigerian cooks. He complains that in Nigeria, we don’t experiment with food; people stick to tried and tested and I must confess…..he’s not at all off the mark.
So after my less than impressive first try (at least according to me), I was determined to get it super right for Penny’s Gnocchi-Umami party. And I can confirm that second time around, the results were great:
Sweet plantains, ‘tempered’ with diced red chillies, gently kneaded to form a soft dough.
Rolled out, cut up and stuffed with dark chocolate (Thank you again, Kate). Set in a sea of strawberry sauce with Matcha cream. And just for the record, some baby kiwis .
And if you’re seeking which of this dishes provides the highly sought after 5th taste – umami, then look no further.
Its the cream. Yes, the Matcha cream.
The word ‘Umami’ is of Japanese origin. In Japan and all over the world it is called ‘the fifth taste’, after sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It literally translates as “pleasant taste”.
This pleasant savoury ‘umami’ taste is imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavours, most people don’t recognise umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious!
Japan is one of the oldest tea growing regions in the world along with China. It is the only tea growing country in the world, which solely produces green tea, of which Matcha is a variety.
I was surprised to find out that Matcha, with its fresh, intense, green colour was a powder.
I had always assumed it was leaves…… Last February, I got 2 packs at G.Detou in Paris: one for cooking and the other for drinking. I opened the cooking one first and expected that to be powder so no surprises there but then later I opened the drinking pack and was shocked to see it too was powder. So now I know that Matcha is green tea powder.
With Matcha and Japanese Teas, the higher the quality, the richer the amino acid content and therefore increased umami. Which is why I chose to pair the gnocchi with umami cream. There you have it!
And for some recipes now:
Plantain gnocchi with chocolate centres, adapted from Cake, Batter and Bowl
Tips
- Boil the plantains in their own skins to prevent them from absorbing too much water, which detracts from their taste and makes them super mushy.
- When adding the flour, sprinkle it in small portions, incorporating a little at a time so your dough remains light
- Also, this time around, I used Tipo 00 which is lower in gluten than (American) all-purpose flour. Think, less gluten, less chance of toughening the dough through over-kneading.
- Make them and cook them immediately or deep freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet/baking tray and transfer them to Ziplocs when frozen. Cook from frozen.
Ingredients, makes 40 – 50 gnocchi
2 black-brown plantains, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Tipo ‘00’/ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Chocolate chunks (I used dark chocolate chunks) Chilli pepper, chopped (optional)
How to:
To make the dough, wash the plantains, and leave them in their skins. Gently run a knife down one side, from top to bottom, splitting the skin but not taking it off.
Cut each plantain into 3-4 pieces and put in a pan with water to boil.
Boil for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from the pan, draining off water and mash thoroughly in a medium bowl.
I used a ricer and while it didn’t create the perfect texture for the dough, the gnocchi were fine, if a bit ugly. However, on a good note, I discovered plantain noodles! I love, love, love them….as did husband and kids.
Moving on, let the mashed plantains cool for 10 minutes. Add the chopped chilli peppers if using. I like the contrast of sweet, chilli, chocolatey and umami….all in one!
Make a ring with a hollow centre and pour in lightly beaten egg.
Gently mix in, using a fork.
When that is done, start adding the flour, by sprinkling over the top of the dough a little at a time.
The aim is to have a soft dough, which isn’t too sticky.
Once the dough comes together, let it rest for a couple of minutes.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large workable square or rectangle. Cut strips of at least 3-4 cm width.
Place a chocolate chunk in the middle of each piece of dough and seal by pressing the ends together.
Now unlike traditional gnocchi, you don’t really need to ‘mark’ your gnocchi but I tried anyway.
I decided I would make both chocolate-filled ones and plain.
Once the plain ones were done, they went in to the freezer.
To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add some salt to it and when it has come to the boil, give a good stir and then put some gnocchi in. working in batches.
At first, the gnocchi will sink to the bottom but as they cook, they’ll rise to the surface, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove them using a slotted spoon/sieve spoon and let them drain.
Serve them with your favourite fruit sauce and cream.
Enjoy.
Strawberry sauce, makes 300ml
I saved some sauce while making strawberry sorbet last weekend. The recipe is from Ice cream, by Pippa Cuthbert & Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Ingredients
How to:
Put the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, water and balsamic vinegar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.
Cool slightly and then transfer to a blender or food processor and process to a smooth puree.
Let it cool completely and then use as desired.
Matcha cream
Ingredients
1/8 teaspoon Matcha 1 teaspoon hot water (not boiling. Ideally, Matcha should be made with water which is at about 50 degrees centigrade) 1 – 2 tablespoons crème fraiche Icing sugar, optionalHow to:
Mix Matcha powder with hot (but not boiling) water.
Stir well till combined.
Mix the Matcha liquid with the cream fraiche and sweeten with icing sugar, if necessary.
Enjoy the cool taste of Matcha…on your lips!
The verdict: I really enjoyed them this time. The strawberry sauce was sweet perfection to the gnocchi and while the gnocchi didn’t look so pretty, they tasted pretty good! I liked the slight bitterness and richness of the ‘umami’ cream. It balanced and evened out the sweetness of the sauce and the chocolatiness of the gnocchi.I also thought the red chillies in the gnocchi were perfect, giving a delicate but present heat! Boy, I ♥ chilli in my desserts!
I am looking forward to serving these up to some Nigerians pretty soon. I’ll tell you what they think, ok?
Please check out what the other guests brought to the party:
- Penny from Addictive and consuming made Gnocchi Gnudi.
- Christine from Christine’s Recipes made Gnocchi with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.
- Mardi from Eat, Live, Travel, Write made Pan Fried Pumpkin Gnocchi with truffle paste and basil.
- Trix from Tasty Trix made Malfatti a la Al Di La (Nude Gnocchi).
- Divina from Sense & Serendipity made Braised Beef Short Ribs Adobo on Potato Gnocchi.
- Agnes from Off the spork made Potato Gnocchi with Blue Cheese Sauce.
- Shirley from Enriching your kid made a Chicken Tikka Gnocchi.
- Natasha from Five Star Foodie made Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Nori Butter.
- Conor from Hold the Beef made Tuna & Anchovy sauce gnocchi with roasted vegetables.
- Mellie from Tummyrumbles made Gnocchi di patate con funghi e salvia
I also want to send this on to the Culinary Olympics, hosted by the BloggerAid Team, as a contribution from Nigeria, where plantains are a staple and where our athletic prowess is respected the world over!
They are also responsible for putting together the fantastic Blogger Aid cookbook. I don’t have a copy yet but that will be righted in the coming week or two.
Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend!
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Chocolate-filled Plantain Gnocchi, with chillies for Dessert – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love your tip for boiling the plantains in their skins too – I will try that next time!
A truly brilliant recipe!
Everything here looks so good. My efforts at making regular gnocchi have been so disaml so far, I’ve all but given up on it!
I think I shall ne coming back to you for some “Nigerian” dishes I want to try my hand at. Btw, doesn’t jollof rice usually have crayfish in it?
not only have i never seen dessert gnocchi, but the very idea of gnocchi made with plantains is completely new to me! this is an extremely informative, appetizing, and beautiful post–thanks!
Surely no one can accuse you of being unadventurous after this post. Wow plantain and chocolate is very daring and original and I am over the moon curious to know what it tastes like.
This dish looks amazing! I have never heard of a sweet gnocchi before, but it is a great idea. Love it!
brilliant!
I love this! These pictures are absolutely amazing and the combination is genius! Definitely a umami moment!
I love that you love plantain so much! Fabulous sistah! Gorgeous colours in that and great presentation.
Wowee wow wow! So so clever, I love this dish!! Gorgeous plating, and simply stunning photography too.
Wow, this is amazing, where do you come up with these recipes. This is just so impressive.
*kisses* HH
I have GOT to try your chocolate plantain gnocci! They look wonderful. Hopefully I can manage them as well as you did! (but I doubt it!)
There’s an incredible amount going on here, I love the look of the plaintain and didn’t know this could be put in sweet dishes. I am on the verge of ordering a tub of matcha powder myself, I have been put off by the price but there are loads of things I could make with it.
Looks like a great challenge you’ve taken part in – you are very good at tracking these things down!
the flavors that you put together here are just ahh-mazing. the photos too are stunning! lovely post .. i love it!
Wow, this is so much fun to read.. esp as I am in Japan and LOVE Macha = ) I love how you intertwine cultures… real fusion.
Very inventive spin on the gnocchi—love this!
I’ve never had chocolate in my gnocchi, but why not. You are so creative in your choice of flavors.
Mimi
Thanks everyone, it was fun being a part of the party and doing my bit for the culinary Olympics!
INCREDIBLE!
Stunning! Concept and execution.
From top to bottom..this is a post of beauty.Every photo.. a work of art..your presentation is beautiful.
This is way creative! I’m impressed. I LOVE plantains, so I think I’d adore these gnocchi. Yum. Would you please send some my way, like, ASAP?
Oh, man. Where to start? Gnocchi. Chocolate. Plantains. As if that’s not enough, then you go and add strawberries. Cream. Matcha. My taste buds are spinning, hon! You’re amazing. Thanks!
Every dish here is such a treat for my eyes! The whole post is incredibly visually appealing. These gnocchi are fantastic! I remember Kerstin’s post about them and have had them bookmarked for forever. What a great submission to the gnocchi event!
Wow, this is so creative! I didn’t even think about dessert gnocchi.
Thank you for bringing dessert to the party! Love this version absolutely. We have these plaintains in South India too. They are really sweet. I can imagine how this dish would taste. Fantastic!
What sort of genius mad scientist are you? Plantain gnocchi? Holy cow – you are incredible – I LOVE it! What fun and I cannot wait to know peoples socks off with this recipe.
Great combination. I would be happy with a bite or more.
Way to push the borders Oz. Thank you for submitting this dessert to the Culinary Olympics and for representing your country so well!!!!
These look fantastic! What a great post, you are so informative! My husband likes it that I am always trying new flavors, tastes and foods. We love plantains and chocolate too!
OOh…when I saw that super big strawberry I was drooling right in front of my pc. I can imagine the taste of it plus I saw the amount bird’s eye chili you put in your banana …hoolaa… I would be blowing fire after 1 bite. LOL! I’m going to make this because I love the combination of banana, chocolate n strawberry sauce with matcha cream.
Btw: you can do your No Knead Bread using a crockpot or ceramic pot with cover in the oven. That’s how I do mine at home.
These look absolutely incredible. We’re DEFINITELY going to have to try making them.
Wow, you’re very creative. Your photos and gnocchi dessert are very impressive. A must-try dessert!
Lovely photos, Ozoz. Thanks for posting.
What amouth-watering gnocchi dessert! I love it.
Ozoz, you blow me away, you truly do! What an amazing, creative dessert and gorgeous photos.
Oh wow, your gnocchi dessert is fantastic and so creative. I absolutely love it. Good thing we have a dessert for our gnocchi party. I almost missed including you on my list. The photos are incredible. This gnocchi is a work of art with lots of love.
What a fabulous looking combined dessert!!
Waw!! I am truly blown away!!
MMMMMMMMMMMM,…a must try with all of these wonderful different flavours!! What a mix!!
Wow, seriously impressive! From the flavours through to your presentation. So bummed I didn’t see Penny’s gnocchi party in time to participate 🙁
Wow, wow and wow! Your beautiful photos and the care and detail that you have for each story are so admirable! Fantastic job! 🙂
[…] Ozoz from Kitchen Butterfly – A dessert! Freaking love it. Chocolate-filled Plantain Gnocchi, with chillies for Dessert […]
super super super…………..im making these banana gnochi! its a gnocchi that I can absolutely relate to! lol…you fotos are exquisite…and you say u are busy??!!! its hard to beleive when u can take all these pictures of every step so beautifully…i loved this post!TQ
I love to eat and cook West African food so much, and your interpretation of gnocchi for the gnocchi party is just genius, really! The photo of the dough is gorgeous – I heart dough!
Oh Ozoz – these are beautiful! I loved reading about the process. How lovely to use the plantains. Wow, I’m just so impressed. 🙂 You did a wonderful job.
Wow, just wow! I love each and every component of this! The chocolate center, plantain, the strawberry sauce, and the matcha cream – spectacular!
It looks like something you would order in a restaurant!
[…] from Five Star Foodie made Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Nori Butter. Ozoz from Kitchen Butterfly made Chocolate-filled Plantain Gnocchi, with chillies for Dessert. Written by mellie on February 28th, 2010 | Tags: recipes | | Print This Post | Email […]
What a good idea.. In Indonesia, we’ve paired chocolate, bananas/plaintain, and cheddar cheese too. This recipe is taking it into another level.
This is awesome-ness! I have to say you hit the whole umami thing on the head. Super yum. I am keeping this for the future. Super droool!
The strawberry sauce looks really concentrated and the flavor should probably be really strong.