Gnocchi and mushroom pan with tomatoes and caramelized whiskey bacon on arugula

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g mushrooms
• 3 m.-large onion(s), red
• 5 garlic cloves
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, dark
• 200 g crème fraîche
• 100 g cream cheese spread
• 30 g butter
• 2 tbsp clarified butter for frying
• 2 tbsp, heaped tarragon, dried
• 800 g gnocchi, from the refrigerated section
• 200 g date tomatoes
• 2 handfuls of basil leaves
• n. B. Pfeffer
• 4 handfuls of arugula
• 250 g bacon, cut into strips, from the refrigerated section
• 10 cl whiskey
• 5 tsp cane sugar
• 3 allspice berries
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Clean and quarter the mushrooms. Peel the onions and slice into strips. Peel the garlic and press or finely chop. Quarter the tomatoes. Twist the basil leaves together and slice into strips. Grind the allspice berries in a mortar and pestle. For the bacon topping, first put the whiskey, ground allspice, paprika, coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Add all but a teaspoon of the brown sugar to the pan and dissolve the sugar over medium heat. Bring everything to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes until a thick glaze forms. Tip: If you don’t have the individual spices for the whiskey glaze on hand, you can also use a corresponding BBQ spice mix. Meanwhile, fry the gnocchi in a large pan with clarified butter for about 5-7 minutes, stirring or tossing, until golden brown. Do not use full heat, as otherwise the gnocchi can burn quickly. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/convection oven. Place the bacon strips in a baking dish, spread them out flat, and brush the spice mixture on top using a silicone brush. Sprinkle the last teaspoon of brown sugar over the top. Place everything in the oven at 200°C fan/convection oven for about 15 minutes to caramelize. In the meantime, remove the finished gnocchi from the pan and set aside. Without adding any more fat, fry the mushrooms in the pan for about 8-10 minutes. Without adding any additional fat initially, any water that escapes from the mushrooms will evaporate immediately, and the mushrooms will fry brown and not become mushy in their own liquid. After frying the mushrooms dry, add the butter and heat through. Add the garlic and onions and sauté everything for another 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Deglaze everything with balsamic vinegar and let it simmer briefly. Then pour in the vegetable stock, add the tarragon, and bring everything to a boil. Stir in the crème fraîche, then add the processed cheese and stir to melt. Once the cheese is completely melted, season with pepper. There should already be enough salt from the stock and processed cheese. Add the gnocchi back in. Add the tomatoes and basil, and bring everything back to a boil until the gnocchi are hot again. Place a handful of arugula on each plate and top with a portion of the gnocchi and mushroom mixture. Finally, arrange the caramelized bacon strips on top.