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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Puffball Parisienne Gnocchi

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puffball mushroom gnocchi

It may not look like it, but this is a study in giant puffball mushrooms. Typically you see puffballs breaded and fried, but you can’t always have them fresh, so here is a fun recipe I dreamed up using powder made from their dried slices. Essentially, these are just puffball flavored dumplings made from a modified eclair dough, with a sauce made from caramelized, dried puffball powder, all accompanied by some cooked winter vegetables to round out the dish.

I played around with more of the puffball mushroom flour a few weeks ago, trying to deepen my understanding of how it can be used. Its a bit difficult to wrap your head around it’s properties since it deflates when it touches heat, losing much of it’s volume. The only way to figure it’s culinary uses is to just mess with it and see what works.

One thing I knew that would be easy to improvise, even with the flour’s strange properties is a small gnocchi like dumpling called a parisienne, which I utilize often. Parisiennes are different from potato gnocchi in that they are made from eclair dough, otherwise known as pate a choux (pot-ah-shoe). I knew that the dough would be easy to make since the flour mixture is cooked through with a bit of butter on the stove top, which I knew would allow the puffball flour to show its true volume.

Instead of cooking potatoes for typical gnocchi, you can just cook these over the stove and the dough comes together easily in a small pot, no kneading or peeling of potatoes required. Parisiennes are also different in that they are typically fried golden brown after they are cooked in water until they float, where traditional Italian potato gnocchi are cooked in water and then tossed with a sauce immediately. I tend to not like searing potato gnocchi golden brown, I think it makes them overly chewy. I should mention though that the typical potato gnocchi I make are egg-less utilizing only flour and timing to create the dough. Gnocchi made with egg in them can be seared and caramelized a bit better.

I make parisienne dumplings out of everything, the pate a choux is very flexible as far as what you can incorporate into it, much like spaetzle. Vegetable purees like spinach can be added to change the color, check out the green speckled version I made with ramp leaves last spring here. Since the dough gets whipped with eggs after is it mixed, and the eggs are the bulk of what make them float when they are poached, you can also substitute gluten free flour such as millet or wild rice flour.

In all reality though this is essentially two recipes in one, the puffball gnocchi and the puffball sauce don’t have to be served together at all, you could just take your pick of one, instead of attempting the entire dish. The puffball sauce would be a shoe in for some pasta, kind of like a puffball alfredo, just add a little water as needed to thin it. The gnocchi fried by themselves are wonderful with fresh vegetables, or as an accompaniment to meat. after the gnocchi are poached in water they can also be baked with a little cheese on top until brown. Just remember that parisienne gnocchi don’t like to touch wet ingredients after they have been fried, steam will make them limp and soggy.

Anyone else have some unique ways they cook puffballs? I’d love to hear them.

wild puffball mushroom gnocchi

puffball mushroom gnocchi
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5 from 1 vote

Puffball Mushroom Parisienne Gnocchi

Classic Parisienne gnocchi, with a puffball twist
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Parisienne Gnocchi, Puffball Mushrooms
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried puffball mushroom flour
  • 1 Tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup cold water
  • 3/4 cup white a.p. flour
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Instructions

  • Heat the water, butter and salt in a small sauce pan until the butter has totally melted, mix the puffball flour and the a.p. flour and then whisk into the water slowly until the mixture comes together in a mass.Stir the mass of flour in the pan with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes slowly, turning down the heat if needed until some of the water has evaporated and the mixture thickens slightly.
  • Remove the dough mixture to a stand mixer and then, one at a time, beat in the eggs with the paddle attachment, waiting until each egg is completely absorbed before adding the next one.
  • When all the eggs have been added, transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a plain, circular tip and pipe the mixture into simmering, lightly salted water, cutting each dumpling off with a pairing knife at about 1inch lengths.
  • Once the bottom of the blanching pan is covered by dumplings, you must stop filling the pot and wait for the dumplings to float. After the dumplings have begun to float, cook for two-three minutes more until all the dumplings have risen.
  • Once all the dumplings have risen, cook for another minute or two to ensure they are set all the way through, then remove them to a greased cookie sheet using a slotted spoon. Chill the dumplings until ready to use.
  • To serve the gnocchi, fry them until golden on each side.
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Caramelized Puffball Sauce

A caramelized sauce made from puffball mushroom flour
Prep Time15 mins
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Puffball Flour, Puffball Mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried puffball mushroom flour
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp shallot chopped lightly or diced 1/4 in
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or meat stock of your choice preferably homemade
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Pinch white pepper

Instructions

  • In a two quart sauce-pot, gently cook the butter, salt, and shallots and cook for 5 minutes until the shallots are translucent and softened, this will remove their hot-raw aroma and flavor.
  • Add the puffball flour and cook, until the puffball flour loses it's volume and begins to cook. Cook the puffball flour for five minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until it darkens in color slightly.
  • Now deglaze with the wine and cook until the wine has almost evaporated entirely.
  • After the wine cooks off, add the cream, stock, and white pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then puree in a highspeed blender. When the sauce is pureed and very smooth, strain it through a chinois or other strainer. Alternatively you could use a hand blender to puree this, they work great too.
  • Reserve the sauce until needed. When reheating, whisk occasionally to prevent lumps.

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Puffball Mushrooms

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  1. Hedgehog mushroom duxelles recipe says:
    February 24, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    […] mushroom dumplings, you could add 1/4 cup of duxelles to my recipe for puffball Parisienne gnocchi here, just omit the puffball […]

    Reply

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Alan Bergo
Milkweed buds are the second-best edible part of t Milkweed buds are the second-best edible part of the plant, besides the pods in my opinion. They need to be cooked to be edible. 

I only pick from common milkweed in areas where there’s very large colonies. 

I leave some buds to flower on each plant, I also avoid any tops that have insects or monarch caterpillars. Plenty of food to go around. 

#milkweedisafoodplant #foraging #milkweedbuds #asclepiassyriaca
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
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