Today was definitely a day for comfort food, not sure if it was the heat in my non air conditioned condo, or the accumulated lack of sleep. All I know is today was one of those days were I felt slightly under the weather and wanted to do nothing more that submerge myself in my cooking. Unlike some people, cooking seems to ground me, it never feels like work. As my better half and I contemplated what to have for dinner so I could cross over to store and pick up the missing ingredients I decided to flip through some recipe books in search of inspiration. I definitely found it. Gnocchi. Served like pasta, although it really falls into the dumpling category, usually made with potatoes, they're hearty and definitely qualify as comfort food.
I remember when I was younger my parents would spend an entire day making big batches of gnocchi and rolling out the dough into long ropes, usually the length of the kitchen table. Gnocchi, in terms of pasta making, is definitely on the simpler side. If you've never made home made pasta before, this is a good place to begin. Unlike Mom and Dad, this doesn't have to be a whole day affair. The recipe below serves 4 main dishes, and the gnocchi themselves only take 20 minutes or so to prepare. Definitely worth the time and effort. If you've got a little extra time on your hands, you way want to make a double batch and freeze them.
When freezing gnocchi is best to do what is commonly called flash freezing. What this basically means is, arrange your gnocchi in a single layer on a baking sheet, making sure none of them are touching and place in the freezer for about an hour or two. Once they're frozen, you can then transfer them to a freezer bag. This method also works well for unbaked cookies, summer fruit and berries, pierogies...
Sausage & Tomato Gnocchi
Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main dish
Gnocchi:
1 lb russet potatoes (about 1 large or 2 small)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 large egg
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon fine salt ( table salt)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch ground nutmeg
Sauce:
2 mild Italian sausages, casing removed (about 7 ounces total)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper
parmesan shaving and basil for serving
For the gnocchi, preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce the potatoes in several places with a fork. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let stand until just cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.
Peel the potatoes, put in a medium bowl and mash with a fork until smooth (do NOT use a food processor for this).
Add the flour, egg, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir just until blended.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 pieces. Take 1 piece and roll it between your hands and on the work surface into 12-inch long rope. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and roll them on a gnocchi ridger or press one side of each piece against the tines of a fork to make indentations. These ridges help the sauce cling to the surface of the gnocchi.
Place gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Gnocchi can be made up to 8 hours ahead and chilled. (You can also freeze the gnocchi at this point.)
For the sauce, sauté the sausage in a pan over medium-high heat until golden brown, breaking up the meat with a bamboo spoon or "mix and chop." Remove the sausage from the pan and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the sausage drippings and stir for a moment. Add the balsamic vinegar and stock carefully (it will sputter), and then the tomatoes and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float. Drain the gnocchi and add to the sauce.
To serve, return the sauce to a simmer, add the reserved sausage and stir. If you like serve immediately with parmesan shavings and a chiffonade of basil (thinly sliced).
Alternately, after you've added the gnocchi and sausage to the sauce, try popping it in a 375°F over for 10 minutes. The gnocchi will soufflé beautifully.
No comments:
Post a Comment