Experience and taste the incredible combination of wild herbs, mustard, smoke, and red wine! This dish is fun to prepare and brings a touch of gourmet atmosphere to your outdoor moments.
Wild herb gnocchi pan is the perfect outdoor meal that combines nature's bounty with the warmth of a campfire. You can easily forage wild herbs from nature during your trip. This is the season's absolute must-try recipe for all outdoor enthusiasts!
If you wish, you can handle the smoking in advance using an electric smoker before your trip. And please don't collect pine branches from living trees without the landowner's permission! Always remember to check your area's wildfire warnings before lighting a fire. The dish can also be prepared using a camping stove if needed.
You can determine the serving size based on the potato gnocchi: a 500 g package of gnocchi serves about 2-3 people.
Wild Herb Gnocchi Pan
- 500 g potato gnocchi
- 2 tsp (coarse) Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1 garlic clove
- 0.5 dl oat cream
- A handful of wild herbs (e.g., ground elder, cow parsley, and yarrow)
- A handful of pecans
- Cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Optional for finishing: (Oat) fraiche / (vege) feta
- Quality red wine, e.g., Pierrevignes - Côtes du Rhône
Instructions:
Place the nuts in an uncoated pot so that about a quarter of the pot's bottom is covered. Halve the cherry tomatoes and cover another quarter with them. Light a small, fresh pine branch in the campfire or with a torch, lift it while burning/smoking into the pot on the empty side, and close the lid quickly. Metal tongs make handling the burning branch easier.
Let it smoke for 10 minutes. Taste, and repeat if you want a stronger smoky flavor. You can also smoke the ingredients in outdoor conditions by placing them in a metal strainer and holding it over the fire, above the smoking spot, for about 10 min.
Cook the gnocchi until done in salted water, in a high-sided pan or pot, following the package instructions for a few minutes. They're ready when they float to the surface. Pour out the water, but leave a couple of tablespoons. Mix together the honey, mustard, minced garlic, and cream. Stir into the gnocchi. Add a generous splash of olive oil and a handful of coarsely chopped wild herbs, and toss in the pan. Finally, add the tomatoes and nuts. Enjoy as is or with a dollop of fraiche / (vege) feta.
A quality red wine from a recycled plastic bottle pairs well with this dish: Pierrevignes Côtes du Rhône. Pierrevignes works with both mustardy and various smoky foods, and the wine is also vegan!
This recipe for Viikon Viini was created by Wilderness Guide Sonja Lassila.
What Makes a Good Outdoor Wine?
Choose a lightweight plastic bottle of quality red wine for your outdoor trip, one that pairs especially well with smoky food. A plastic bottle definitely won't break in nature and won't leak thanks to its screw cap.
