Plantain Gnocchi and Minced Meat Sauce

At this point, it is safe to say I am slightly addicted to plantains. I mean I have an e-book dedicated to plantain recipes which I should probably update with this plantain gnocchi recipe. I was watching a documentary on Netflix about a chef’s journey through some parts of Asia and they were making gnocchi from ramen. I started immediately asking myself how I could introduce this to the Nigerian menu based on what he was doing. Indomie was the obvious choice but I decided to think a little more creatively and decided plantain was the way to go. I would still try out my indomie gnocchi idea but for now plantain would do.

Now for my followers that have been reading this post and wondering what gnocchi is, let me help you out a little. Gnocchi has it’s roots in Italian cuisine and it is made with potatoes or semolina flour into dumplings and served with a sauce. I just decided to use plantain instead as my base. In terms of sauces to pair it with, I chose minced meat sauce for this one but I also later ate it with some efo-riro. It was really delicious. Hope you enjoy it too.

Recipe for Plantain Gnocchi and Minced Meat Sauce

Ingredients (Serves 1-2 people)

1 finger of plantain

3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1 egg

1 cup of minced meat

1 red bell pepper

3 scotch bonnet peppers

1/4 bulb of Onions

A handful of chopped carrots

Seasoning cubes

1 tablespoon of butter

2 teaspoons of vegetable Oil

1 clove of garlic

 1/2 teaspoon of grated Ginger

Salt to taste

Method

Boil the plantain till very soft and blend till a smooth puree is formed.

In a bowl, mix the pureed plantain with the flour and the whisked egg with a pinch of salt and combine till a dough is formed.

On a flat surface, sprinkle some flour and knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes.

Section the dough, roll out and cut the dough till little square shapes are achieved.

In a pot of boiling water, place the little squares in the water. Once it rises to the surface, wait an extra 45 seconds and take it out and pat dry. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil over it to keep your plantain gnocchi  moist.

For your minced meat sauce

Massage your minced meat with some seasoning and set aside.

Blend your bell pepper, garlic, ginger and scotch bonnet pepper with as little water as possible and set aside.

In a pan, pour in your remaining teaspoon of oil and butter and heat up on medium heat.

Stir fry your onions and minced meat for 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

Pour in your blended mix and allow to cook some more till sauce starts to dry up a little.

Check your sauce for seasoning correction and add your carrots. Allow sauce to simmer for 1-2 minutes and serve with Plantain gnocchi.