Mouthful, isn't it? So, the story is this - I decided that for this week's meal, I was going to make gnocci. For the uninitiated (or non-Italian) like myself, it is pronounced "nyo-kee" - which I didn't learn until after I went into the kitchen store and asked for a potato ricer. Nice lady looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was making "no-chee". And then politely corrected me. While telling me what a challenge it would be. Hm.
Anyway, my plan was to make it for Meatless Monday, giving me plenty of time to get the blog post taken care of. Well, my sweet husband bought the biggest potatoes to ever come out of the ground (or so it seemed) and it took them much longer to bake than anticipated. Like, almost 2 hours. So, Meatless Monday became Leftover Night.
Having never made gnocci before, it didn't seem too complicated - and it really wasn't. It was a little more time-consuming than I anticipated, but I think that was due mainly to never having made it before. However, according to the website I used for instructions, gnocci freeze quite well when done before cooking. So, I'm thinking next time I will make a huge batch and just freeze a bunch. Plus, I think it will be a bit quicker and smoother as I get more practice. My gnocci probably would not satisfy someone with an Italian grandmother, but they got good reviews here! I used some diced tomatoes I had canned to make some sauce, and we had the gnocci with salad and garlic bread.
The recipe I used is located HERE along with photos. But, I will post the recipe as well:
Potato Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs whole baking potatoes
2 beaten egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Your favorite pasta sauce (for example, this basic, delicious tomato sauce)
Method
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool and let more moisture escape.
2 Scoop out the potatos from their skins. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. (If you don't have a potato ricer you can mash the potatoes by hand and fluff them up a bit with a fork.) It is best to work with the potatoes when they are still warm.
3 Add the flour, egg and a pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not overmix.
4 Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter. It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough. Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.
5 Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce). As the gnocchi are made, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with flour or lined with wax paper. At this point you can freeze the gnocchi ahead of time. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray, then once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage. To cook, just put the frozen gnocchi into the simmering water for the next step.
6 Bring at least 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a shallow saucepan. Gently drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, draining well. Arrange on a warm serving dish. Continue cooking the gnocchi in the same manner.
7 As soon as all the gnocchi are ready, pour heated pasta sauce over them and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.
I didn't have any parsley, so we topped ours with a bit of shredded parmesan. The reviews were surprisingly positive. Dear Husband commented that this is a keeper recipe, and Young Mister agreed completely while asking for seconds. Little Girl had about 3 bites and wouldn't eat any more, which really surprised me - since it was so similar to pasta, which she usually chows on, I thought for sure she would love it. I think she would try it again though, so I'm not completely disheartened. I quite enjoyed it and would certainly make and eat it again - though next time I would make a bigger batch so that I could have some in the freezer. It would be great for a late supper or unexpected company.
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