By Renee Baumann

Another recipe created by our friend and wonderful baker, chef, forager, basket maker, craftsperson extraordinaire Renee Baumann, for the occasion of the 2025 Hudson Valley Nut Fest. You can visit her website to learn more about her work and register for workshops ranging from foraging to felting to cattail hat making!

Ingredients:

Makes 4 servings

Gnocchi:

2 cups coarse chestnut flour (240 g)
2 cups water (450 g)
4 Tbsp butter (50 g)
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (100 g)

Sage Browned Butter:

1 bunch fresh sage leaves
8 Tbsp butter

To Serve:

Whole nutmeg
Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
Black Pepper & Salt

Cook Chestnut Polenta

Place water, chestnut flour, butter and salt in a saucepan over high heat. Do not walk away — stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure the mixture does not burn on the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture has thickened to a paste and is steaming vigorously, turn off the heat. It should be very thick and you will notice the color change as it turns slightly darker and more translucent when it is cooked. Stir well, cover, and leave to sit off the heat for about 10 minutes.

Mix Dough

Add the all-purpose flour into the chestnut mixture all at once and stir until the mixture comes together. Scrape the dough onto a clean work surface and knead for 1-2 minutes (about 100 kneads).

Shape Gnocchi

Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each part into a 1/2-inch wide rope. Use a knife to divide each rope into 15 equal pieces. They will look quite small, but they will expand significantly during cooking. Roll each piece into a ball, then use your fingertips to press each into a rough diamond shape and flatten slightly. Optionally, you can form them into an elongated lozenge shape or roll with a a fork to make ridges. Set aside on parchment or a cutting board. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the gnocchi or freeze them for later use.

Cook

Place butter in a small saucepan over high heat. Once the butter has melted, watch it carefully and swirl the pan as it foams. Add sage leaves and stir. Once the butter begins to brown, stir the pot to incorporate the brown bits that stick to the bottom. Browned butter burns quickly, so as soon as it is a nice chestnut color, remove it from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of slated water to a boil. Transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water and gently stir once so they don’t settle at the bottom. Watch carefully; once they float to the surface, cook for one additional minute. Strain the gnocchi and transfer to the pan with the warmed sauce. Toss with browned butter and transfer to plates. Top with black pepper, grated nutmeg, and shave pecorino. Serve while hot.

Chestnut Gnocchi With Browned Butter & Sage