Rainy Day Gnocchi: Gnocchi di Patate; Gnocchi di Ricotta; Gnocchi di Zucca

Spent a rainy day here in New Mexico (it rains so infrequently here) making three different kinds of gnocchi: traditional potato/flour gnocchi; light and airy ricotta/flour gnocchi; and roasted butternut/flour gnocchi.

The recipe is basic for all three: start with your signature ingredient: boiled in skin, peeled and riced potatoes; a container of ricotta cheese; seeded, quartered, roasted, peeled and riced butternut squash.

To each add a little salt (add an optional dash of nutmeg to the ricotta and the butternut squash).

Add flour a little at a time and mix lightly with your hands until a moist uniform dough forms; do not knead or over mix. Let rest covered with a damp dish towel for ten minutes or so.

Work with pieces the size of an orange while the rest of the dough stays covered. make the dough onto a rope by rolling with the fingers and palms on a LIGHTLY floured board until the rope is about the thickness of a hot dog.

Cut the rope into about 1-inch pieces and score each gnocco with a fork, rolling the piece forward and making a dimple in each gnocco. Place on a tray and freeze or cook in boiling salted water until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon, spider scoop or small strainer.

Little pillows of delectable goodness.

Serve with your favorite sauce: potato gnocchi with tomato sauce; ricotta gnocchi with butter and grated parmigiano; butternut gnocchi with browned butter and sage.


Here are the details:

Uncle Gregorio’s Gnocchi

Approximate proportions:  

3 lbs Idaho or Russet (baking) potatoes

1 lb of flour

salt

A potato ricer (A kitchen tool for pressing cooked potato through holes creating a course mash)

Wash and boil the potatoes whole with the skins till just cooked (a fork will just go through easily). Do not over-cook.  Allow the potatoes to cool then peal the skins off (the skins should slide off fairly easily).

Press potatoes through the ricer onto a floured board.

Add a little salt (about 1 tsp).

Add flour to the potatoes a cup or so at a time and mix gently by hand until the dough forms and is soft but not sticky – do not knead or over mix. 

Note: It is helpful to let the dough "rest" for 20-30 minutes so the flour absorbs moisture.

Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a large orange and using your palm and fingers roll the dough on the floured board forming a long “rope” about the diameter of a hot dog.

Cut the pasta rope into one-inch pieces and, still on the floured board, flick each of the gnocchi with your finger (or the back side of a fork) leaving an indentation in the center.   Place the gnocchi on dinner plates. Continue till you have used up all the dough. 

Boil a large pot of water, add salt. Boil batches of the gnocchi a plate-full at a time.  Slide the gnocchi gently off the plate into the boiling water and when the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove them with a strainer, spider, or slotted spoon. 

Place each batch in a bowl or serving dish into which you have ladled some of your favorite homemade tomato sauce.  Continue till all the gnocchi are cooked, adding more sauce as you add each batch. Serve immediately.

Instead of tomato sauce, toss with melted butter and Romano cheese.

Variation: Gnocchi di Ricotta

2 lbs ricotta cheese

All-purpose flour

Salt

Mix enough flour with the ricotta to make a soft light dough as with potatoes.

Make the gnocchi and cook as in the above recipe.

(Almost) Instant Mac and Cheese (and Healthier Too)

Baked cod, roasted tomatoes, asparagus and quick mac and cheese with cauliflower.

I came up with this side dish tonight to go with some baked cod (frozen cod from Costco) with roasted tomatoes, and asparagus.

I put the cod and the halved tomatoes in a casserole and drizzled all with olive oil, sprinkled the tomatoes with salt, pepper and oregano and the cod with black pepper and Italian style bread crumbs.

That all went into the oven at 375, for about 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish) and I got a pot of water boiling and put the asparagus in a skillet with a little butter and white wine, ready to go on the fire.

I had about 1/3 box of quick-cook Ronzoni penne pasta (which cooks in 3 minutes) and when the cod was close to being done, I got the pasta into the pot to boil while the cauliflower (which was last night's leftover - roasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic, so I knew it would go good with pasta) was in the microwave to reheat - also 3 minutes.

When the pasta was done, I put the asparagus on to cook in the skillet on high heat for just a few minutes.

I drained the pasta, put in two heaping tablespoons (+/-) of plain non-fat yogurt and approximately 3 heaping tablespoons (+/-) of grated Romano cheese, added in the cauliflower with its garlicky sauce and tossed the whole thing together.

Easy and healthier mac and cheese

The fish was done and so was the asparagus. All in less than 30 minutes. Rachael Ray, eat your heart out.

Pollo alla Giardiniere - Gardener's Chicken

While Chicken alla cacciatore may be hunter's style, as a gardener, I've adopted the basic recipe to reflect what's currently abundant in my garden - green beans, yellow squash, peppers, basil, parsley, tomatoes. This gardener's chicken recipe stretches a few chicken parts into a big pot of stew.

The recipe is consistent with our style of eating (or the style which we try to adhere to) which stresses an abundance of fresh vegetables over meat and starches. Perhaps you would use more chicken or fewer vegetables. Which is perfectly OK as proportions are optional.

I started by frying/cooking four chicken legs and thighs in a large skillet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic powder. Saute the chicken and cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and can be removed from the bone.

Remove the chicken parts from the pan, and bone the chicken if you like (just makes it easier to eat).

Drain the grease from the pan and add a little olive oil, a large sliced onion, then add 4-6 Cubanelle or Bell green peppers, cut up. Cook a bit, ten minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Wash and clean some green beans - here's a mixture that I picked today including flat Roma, stringless green beans, slender Italians. Add to the pan.

 Add some fresh basil

And some fresh parsley.

Add some chopped celery, some carrots, chopped fresh garden tomatoes to the beans and onions and peppers. Cook covered on low heat for a bit - maybe five to ten minutes, or till heated through - don't let the veggies over-cook. Add salt to taste - easy though - stay healthy.

 Dice up a couple of cloves of garlic and add to a different skillet with some olive oil.

Cut op and add a yellow squash or a green zucchini squash. Cook for  a few minutes, stirring frequently.

Combine everything into a big stew pot. Add some peeled plum tomatoes.

Let the stew simmer together for maybe thirty to forty-five minutes or so, so the tomatoes cook into a light sauce, but not so much as to turn the veggies into mush. It's nice to have a bit of crunch left in the beans and squash. Season with salt, pepper to taste while cooking. Easy on the salt.

Serve with a little crusty bread or rolls.

Dinner's ready!

Vegetarian Onion Soup With Mushrooms - Gratinee

This vegetarian onion soup soup is delicious and filling and did I say vegetarian.  No beef or chicken broth. 

I used about 10 cups of sliced onions, 10 ounces of sliced white mushrooms, olive oil, butter, dry vermouth (or a dry white wine) parsley, salt, pepper and shredded cheese - muenster and extra sharp cheddar (or include some swiss or whatever cheese you have on hand.  American cheese is not cheese - avoid it).  And some crusts of French or Italian bread.

Brown the onions in 2 batches in a very large skillet (or in 3 or more batches depending on the size of your skillet) over high heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring often to get all the onions caramelized.  

Remove the onions and brown the mushrooms in the same pan, add a little more olive oil, if needed.

Combine the onions and mushrooms in the skillet and over high heat, add one teaspoon of salt and one cup of dry vermouth or other dry white wine.  (If your skillet is not large enough - do this in 2 batches, halving the wine and salt for each batch)

Add a few grinds of black pepper (optional).

Bring to a boil and simmer until the alcohol evaporates and the liquid takes on a nice golden brown color, about 6 or 7 minutes.

Transfer the whole mixture to a large (about 3 quart) sauce pan and add 8 cups of water.

Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of salt (to taste).

Bring the soup to a boil, add a handful of chopped parsley (optional) and simmer for 45-60 minutes.

Grate or shred about 3 ounces of cheese per serving.  I like a combo of very sharp cheddar, muenster and swiss.  But I've used Gouda, Fontina, Jarlsberg or other good cheeses as well.  You can make up to eight servings (more or fewer, depending on the size of your oven-proof soup bowls).

Put a few crusts of good bread on the bottom of each soup bowl.  If the bread you have is not crusty, you can toast it lightly.

Ladle on the soup, with a good serving of the onions and mushrooms, over the bread.  Top with the cheese and place the bowls on a cookie sheet(s) to prevent spillage in the oven.

Place into a 450 degree oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown and bubble.  Remove from oven and serve.

CAUTION: Contents are HOT.  Do not burn your mouth - let the soup cool a bit, and be careful!

Simple ingredients

Saute the onions in Olive oil and butter

Saute the mushrooms in olive oil and butter

Get the onions nicely caramelized
- a little more than above example

Combine the onions and mushrooms

Add the wine, 1 tsp salt and simmer

Transfer to a pot, add water, salt, parsley, simmer

Individual bowls of soup with melted cheese

Serve with a nice glass of wine. 

This soup, alone or with a salad, is a great meal.

Dinner's ready!

Chicken Fried Steak

Well, this isn't pretty, but it is tasty.  Definitely a comfort food.  You can google for various recipes.

Basically take a cubed steak and dredge it in seasoned (use salt and plenty of black pepper) flour and egg a few times and then pan fry it in enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Use the drippings for gravy (a few tablespoons of flour, chicken stock, some milk).  I sautéed some mushrooms in the oil first to make a mushroom gravy.

Pour this over the steak and a hill of mashed potatoes.

Not pretty, but tasty

There are some green beans on the table too.

Dinner's ready.