Purple sweet potato gnocchi with mushroom sauce

New Year's Eve is around the corner! Many of you might be looking for a festive and original, but not too laborious recipe to celebrate the occasion. If that's your case, look no further: try these purple sweet potato gnocchi with a creamy shimeji mushrooms sauce. The unusual color of the gnocchi will surely captivate everyone at the table and make them remember for a long time the last dinner of 2021.

This recipe makes for two very generous portions.

Ingredients for the gnocchi:

480 gr (17 oz) of purple sweet potato (peeled)

100 gr (3.5 oz) of unleavened wheat flour

a drizzle of olive oil

a pinch of salt, black pepper and nutmeg (for the dough)

2 tsp of salt for the water to boil the gnocchi

Ingredients for the sauce:

75 gr (2.6 oz) of brown shimeji mushrooms

1 small garlic clove

1 small onion

1 drizzle of oil

125 ml (4.2 fl oz) of hot water

2 tsp of red miso

1/2 tsp of powdered ginger

salt to taste

Final ingredient:

40 gr (1.4 oz) of arugula

Instructions for the sauce:

- Peel the onion and the garlic clove. Chop them well.

- Wash the mushrooms very well under running water.

- In a non-stick skillet, place a drizzle of olive oil, the onion and the garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Then, add the mushrooms and sauté them over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add a little more olive oil.

- In a tall glass, dissolve the red miso in 125 ml (4.2 fl oz) of hot water. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic to the glass. Season with powdered ginger and then grind everything. Taste a little and, if necessary, add a little bit of salt. Reserve the sauce.

Instructions for the gnocchi:

- Brush a tray with olive oil. Cut the peeled sweet potato into small cubes and place them on the baking tray. Water the potato cubes with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the tray in a preheated oven at 180ºC (356ºF) for 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.

- Remove the tray from the oven. With the help of a fork, crush the sweet potato until you get a lump-free puree. Add salt, black pepper and nutmeg and mix well. Then, little by little, add the flour and wrap it very well with the mashed potato. You should obtain a dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

- Split the dough into four equal parts. Then, with both hands, roll each part of the dough into a long cylinder. Cut the four rolls into small pieces, roughly 1 cm (0.4 in) wide.

- Put water and two teaspoons of salt in a large pot. When the water is boiling, add the gnocchi. Let them cook until they float in the water. Remove the gnocchi from the pan with a perforated spoon, so that the water drains, and place the gnocchi on a plate.

Final instructions:

- Pour the mushroom sauce over the gnocchi, add the arugula leaves and mix everything gently.

Enjoy! :)