Gnocchi and Hen of the Woods Mushroom Recipe

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Prep the Ingredients

1. Clean and dry the mushrooms and then cut them into bite sized pieces. Remove the leaves off the thyme and discard the stems. Chop the thyme leaves roughly.
2. Peel the corn and cut the corn kernels off the cob and reserve. Peel and thinly slice the shallots.
3. While the water is coming to a boil, heat a large fry pan over medium heat until the pan is hot.
4. Add the olive oil and when hot but not smoking, add the Hen of the Woods mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently so they don't burn.
5. To make the brown butter sauce, push the mushrooms to one side of the pan, add the butter and cook for about 30 seconds until the butter starts foaming.
6. When the foaming stops, swirl the butter in the pan for a couple - 3 minutes or until golden brown with a wonderful nutty fragrance."Don't Burn the Butter"
7. Add the shallots and cook for a minute until softened and fragrant.
8. Add the corn kernels and thyme and stir everything together.
9. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for 4 minutes until the corn softens.
10. When the water is boiling, add the gnocchi to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes.The gnocchi will float to the top of the water when done.
11. Reserve 1 cup of the gnocchi water and remove the rest of the gnocchi with slotted spoon or one of those Chinese deep fryer skimmers.
12. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the pan with the brown butter, mushrooms and corn.
13. To finish the dish, add most of the Parmesan cheese and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine. If the sauce is to thick, you can add some more of the reserved gnocchi water to thin it out.
14. Remove the pan from the heat, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
15. Plate the meal by dividing the gnocchi between 4 plates (bowls) and garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.