for the love of food

N’YO-kee

the italian dumpling……. gnocchi. if you don’t like them it’s probably because you’ve never had a well made one.  made from potato ( my favorite ) or semolina or ricotta & spinach or sweet potato - they should be airy and light pillows of loveliness.

but let’s stick to the classic potato gnocchi.

to master making them looks impressive - but it is easy and fun to do. no need to feel intimidated.

there are many recipes for the basic potato gnocchi. i have tried a few - and here i will share my favorite version. practice a few times with different variations and decide for yourself.

now - being the fan that i am of mario batali - i must say that here i disagree with my ‘all-things-italian guru’ on a the point of potato.

always use a russet. i like to boil potatoes with the skin on -  keeps the potato from absorbing too much water ( sorry mario - peeled is out). some say peeled and steamed and that is a good alternative. some say baked but potato texture gets dry and fluffy.  

eggs. i use the whole egg. does the white make for a more tender gnocchi? who knows. some use egg yolk only - which makes for a sturdy and dense gnocchi - if you like that style. and a few say no egg at all ! ( i have not tried that).

flour + salt have their varying proportions.

this is a good foundation recipe:

2# russet potato  /  2 c. AP flour / 1 tsp salt / 2 eggs

boil potato til tender when tested with a knife. start to peel when cool enough to handle ( the dough tends to be easier to work with and yields a more tender gnocchi if you can make while potato is still warm).

cut potato in half and rice into a large bowl (or your counter top). a ricer is ideal but a large grater would work nicely too.

add 1 1/2 cups of flour - and the 1 tsp of salt - and stir with a large spoon ( or a bowl scraper). use a lifting motion to incorporate the flour without mashing into the potato.

add both eggs and begin to incorporate with large spoon or fork. at this point get your hands into it. start to gently knead the dough - adding more flour just to get from being sticky. done !

( get your salted water going now ).

divide into 4 pieces. cover 3 while you roll the one piece into a 1/2” diameter log. cut into 1/2 ” pieces. ( larger or smaller to your preference). continue with remaining pieces.

for the final shaping - roll and flick across a ‘gnocchi paddle’ or a fork works just as well.

at this point you can freeze some of the gnocchi. freeze on sheet pans - then portion into plastic bags.

drop gnocchi into boiling water. after rising to the top - give them 30 seconds more. at this point - blanch them in ice water to use later on - or transfer directly into prepared sauce.

sauced here with guanciale ( better than pancetta) - garlic - tomato - red chile flakes & olive oil.  topped with ricotta and parmesan cheese !

now that’s a  N’YO-kee !

F O R A G I N G

i am a forager of mushrooms.  so i await spring with hopes of finding morels.

if the winter is cold enough and wet enough - the spring will produce the beautiful and delicious morel.  and for those in the know- the first sighting of the texas bluebonnet signals the time to start looking for that tasty mushroom.

excited to spot the tbb - emmett and i gathered our pocket knives and paper bags- and set off to our secret spots with visions of morels in our heads.

 

well it wasn’t the ‘motherload’ we have had in years past - (perhaps we were a bit early) but it was enough for dinner.  let’s celebrate.

we called our neighbor friend richard to join us for supper.

we opened a couple of bottles of italian red - and started with an incredible country pate from our friends jesse + tamara of Dai Due fame. paired with their firemans 4 mustard it was a real treat.

we decide on a risotto with swiss chard from our kitchen garden.  

richard brought a chicken he had on the grill rotisserie at his house (perfect timing) 

and a most delicious leftover pie that our friend celia made -apple-blackberry. now that’s love in a homemade pie.

while mushroom foraging brings hopes of scoring bags of the little treasure - it sometimes becomes just a nice walk in the woods.  oh well. 

our ‘foraging’ brought us a small taste of spring - and an enjoyable dinner with our friend richard.

cheers !