King Prawn, Pumpkin Gnocchi in a Thick Tomato and Basil Bisque
We are almost half way into January and I hope you have been eating your way through it. Last Saturday we certainly did that…. ATE our way through Saturday. I had my cousin and his wife over (I consider her my sister in law, as I don’t have brothers) and we indulged.
With them being big foodies there was no other way for us to spend our Saturday afternoon. You have to book this wonderful high powered couple 3 months in advance and I’m so glad we finally cleared our schedules to eat …oops I meant meet.
The menu had to be pork and beef free so I opted to go with a king prawn starter, a slow roasted lamb shoulder main course, a heirloom tomato, roasted beetroot and buffalo mozzarella (recipes to come soon) and my sister in law made the most decadent lemon curd pavlova.
The starter was the winning dish of the day and I have decided to share my recipe with you. I know, I do love seafood!
Imagine delicious homemade pumpkin gnocchi on a silky thick, creamy, lemony tomato and basil bisque topped with two grilled king prawns. Hungry much???? Don’t let the sound of it intimidate you. It should make your mouth water and want make this dish for your family and friends. Roast potatoes was a must for the lamb so I went with pumpkin gnocchi for the starter. It really is that good and what is even better is that my pumpkin gnocchi is knocking off the carbs. Bonus!!! You can make the extra pumpkin gnocchi and freeze it for another night to go with a delicious pasta sauce of your choice.
Impress your guests with this one.
Pri’s King Prawn, Pumpkin Gnocchi on Tomato Basil Bisque
Serves 8
Pumpkin Gnocchi
800 grams pumpkin cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper
300 grams flour
200 grams semolina
handful fresh sage leaves
Preheat oven 200 celcius
Toss the cubed pumpkin with salt, pepper and olive oil
Roast for 45 minutes
Allow to cool and mash
Add flour and semolina to the pumpkin mash and form a dough, you might need to add more flour when working the dough.
Shape in sausage like rolls, cut and roll into little balls.
Bring a large pot of water to boil
Add the pumpkin gnocchi balls and boil until the begin to float
Strain
In a saucepan heat olive oil and sage leaves add your gnocchi and toss around until golden in colour
Adjust seasoning
Thick Tomato Basil Bisque
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large clove of garlic
Handful basil leaves torn into strips
50 grams tomato paste
100 grams passata
100 ml chicken stock
80 ml cream
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful grated parmesan cheese
Melt butter in a saucepan, add garlic and tomato paste (make sure the garlic doesn’t burn)
Add shredded basil
Stir well
Add passata and chicken stock allow to cook until combined, about 10-15 minutes
Add lemon juice, cream and parmesan cheese
Stir and season
Prawns
16 King Prawns
3 cloves garlic crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Butter for frying
Combine the above and set aside
Fry in butter just before serving
Assembly
Place the tomato bisque on your plate as shown above
Place gnocchi on the tomato bisque
Gently place the grilled prawns on top
Enjoy ….
Eat your way through life!
