Classic Gnocchi
Classic Gnocchi
When I was a kid my mother made dumplings or spaetzle. That was part of my Eastern European heritage. I was much older before I tasted gnocchi for the first time. Similar to dumplings, gnocchi are Italian in origin. Made with cooked potatoes, flour and eggs when done right, gnocchi are quite light and tender. I wish I could remember where I got this recipe. I have a hand written copy of it- but it isn’t my handwriting. This is the version I have been making forever. The original recipe calls for steaming the potatoes, but I will admit to baking them or using leftover boiled potatoes. I sometimes use red skinned or Yukon Gold, too, with nice results. All methods produced a product I was happy with. Here is the recipe I use for gnocchi. Hope you give them a try.
Slicing the dough
Cook until they float
Tossed finished gnocchi with oil or butter to prevent sticking
Classic Gnocchi
4 small russet potatoes, 22-24 oz. total, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 egg
2 T. whipping cream
1 1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. (about) flour
Steam potatoes over boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes. Place in bowl and mash or put potatoes through a ricer. Place in bowl and cool about 10 minutes. Add egg, cream, salt and nutmeg and mix well. Stir in flour and combine until slightly sticky dough forms. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too moist. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll out 1 piece into a rope about 20-inches long by 3/4 inch. Cut dough into 3/4 -inch pieces and roll each piece over the tines of a fork or over a wire whisk to make grooves in them. Arrange finished gnocchi in a single layer on a floured baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Boil the gnocchi in well-salted boiling water, about 1/3 at a time. Boil for 4-5 minutes. They will come to the surface and be tender. Check after 4 minutes. Serve with butter and Parmesan cheese or with marinara sauce. Serves 6.
Autumn Tomato Salad
Autumn Tomato Salad
It’s always kind of sad to say goodbye to fresh tomato season. There should be another month until frost hits our area and I am trying to eat as many fresh tomatoes as I can between now and then. I have been getting heirloom tomatoes from my friend Carl at Blue Pike Farm. I needed a salad for a dinner with friends and decided to make this simple but tasty tomato salad. That’s the thing about fresh tomatoes. You really don’t need to do much with them. Heck, I’m happy with some fresh slices and a sprinkle of salt. For this salad I started with slices of fresh tomatoes. I had a bottle of this amazing olive oil so I added a drizzle of it to the tomatoes along with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, too. I also added a few basil leaves and some freshly ground sea salt. I wanted a crunch element and decided to add toasted pumpkin seeds. You can buy them already toasted or just toast them yourself.* I sprinkled them over the tomato salad and it added just the texture I was looking for.
The olive oil I used
*To toast pumpkin seeds place a layer of pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet and cook them, over medium heat, until they start to brown a little. Toss or stir often. Be careful not to burn them. The seeds will jump a little in the pan. That’s normal. Once seeds have toasted remove them from the heat and let them cool down.
Beet “Gnocchi”
Beet Gnocchi
Gnocchi are wonderful little dumplings made with potatoes in the dough. I love them and make them often. I wanted to shake things up a little and made a version with cooked beets. The color came out so vibrant. The flavor of the beet is somewhat muted in this little dumpling. For serving I combined the beet version with traditional gnocchi and some made from sweet potatoes. They were the perfect thing to serve with a mutton stew. Pretty, too. I do a very rustic version- just slice dough off into 1/2 -inch thick pieces and boil them up. These could be made ahead and frozen, too.
Beet Gnocchi
2 small russet potatoes, 11-12 oz. total, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium/small beets, roasted, skin on, cooled
1 egg
1/4 c. whipping cream
1 1/4 t. salt
¼ t. dill weed
1 1/2 c. (about) flour
Steam potatoes over boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes. Place in bowl and mash or put potatoes through a ricer. Place in bowl and cool about 10 minutes. Remove skins from cooled beets and dice. Place beets in a food processor or blender. Add the cream and process until smooth. Combine with potatoes, egg, salt and dill and mix well. Stir in flour and combine until slightly sticky dough forms. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too moist. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll out 1 piece into a rope about 20-inches long by 3/4 inch. Cut dough into 3/4 -inch pieces and arrange finished gnocchi in a single layer on a floured baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Boil the gnocchi in well-salted boiling water, about 1/3 at a time. Boil for 4-5 minutes. They will come to the surface and be tender. Check after 4 minutes. Serve with butter and Parmesan cheese or with your favorite sauce. Serves 6.
A Trio of Gnocchi
Bean and Bacon Salad
Bean and Bacon Salad
I got some locally grown green beans and wax beans recently. I wanted to use some of them for a salad, but not the traditional bean salad. I know how much I enjoy frying a little bacon and tossing in some beans so I used that as inspiration for this dish. I added a little sweet pepper, too. It was really simple and tasted so good. Here is what I did.
Bean and Bacon Salad
3-4 c. cooked beans- green, wax or mixed, cut into 1-inch pieces
4-5 slices bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 c. minced sweet onion, optional
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. oil- I used olive oil
1/4 c. sugar- or to taste
2 T. fresh chopped parsely
1 t. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce
Combine beans with bacon and onion, if adding, and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over the beans and toss to coat evenly. Cover and chill 30 minutes or longer before serving. Serves 5-6.
Blueberry Syrup and Blueberry Pancakes
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
I love blueberries and enjoy them in all sorts of dishes. For breakfast I can’t think of a better dish than blueberry pancakes with fresh made blueberry syrup. We made these in class the other night and everyone enjoyed them. The pancakes were light and very fluffy. The secret is not to over mix them. The batter was stirred until just mixed. The syrup is pretty simple. Just three ingredients blueberries, sugar and a little water. We served it warm over the pancakes.
Blueberry Pancakes
2 c. biscuit mix*
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Combine mix, milk and eggs until just blended. Fold in berries. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cups in lightly greased griddle or skillet over moderate heat. Turn when pancakes are dry around the edges. Cook until golden brown. Makes about 13.
* Like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix or home made- recipe follows
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening*
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can substitute coconut oil or butter for the shortening- but mix will have to be kept cool. Refrigerate if using butter and use withing 3 months.
Blueberry Syrup
4 c. blueberries
1 c. water
1½ c. sugar
In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Add sugar and cook for 10- 15 minutes on medium heat until mixture thickens. Process syrup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Makes about 3½ cups.
Market Day
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market today from 4-7 pm. Last week I got the most beautiful tomatoes ever. Seriously, natural works of art. Tasty, too. I will have fresh baked pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, chocolate beet cake and so much more. Stop in and say hello. Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E. 72 Street, just 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
I really like putting potatoes and zucchini together in this dish. They work so well together to produce a pancake that is crispy on the outside and tender inside. I’ve made this dish with just potatoes and with just zucchini- and I like them. For some reason the pairing up really works well, though. We made this dish is class last night and everyone liked it a lot. Rather than make a bunch of smaller pancakes we did them as a sort of large pancake. Worked out really nicely.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
4 medium potatoes, I used red skinned
2 medium zucchini
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 t. salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T. grated onion, I used dried chopped onion
½ c. oil
Peel *and grate potatoes. Place them in cold water and set aside. Trim zucchini and grate coarsely. Place in large bowl. Drain potatoes and squeeze dry. Place between towels to get out excess moisture and place in bowl with the zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and stir to combine. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the potato batter into the skillet. Cook several minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Serves 6-8.
* Peeling is really optional. I chose not to and I think they worked out fine. Personal choice.
Corn and Zucchini Saute
Corn and Zucchini Saute
For those of you looking for another way to use some of those zucchini this dish is really fun and easy. The flavors of the zucchini, corn and peppers work really well together and makes a tasty side dish in just a few minutes.
Quick Corn and Zucchini Sauté
2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
Oil
2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears
1 t. garlic salt*
½ t. Italian seasoning
In oil cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.
*Feel free to use 1 teaspoon of salt and some fresh garlic, I often do.
Caramel Pumpkin Scones
Caramel Pumpkin Scone
I love the flavor of these scones but also their sort of rustic appearance. The soft dough is dropped by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. I use an ice cream scoop to do this. They rise up into tender, slightly sweet scones with cracks over the surface. I have made these before and normally top them with a powdered sugar glaze. Alas, I was out of powdered sugar and didn’t feel like making any so I had to improvise. I decided to make a vanilla flavored caramel instead. It worked out well and I will do this again, even if I am not out of powdered sugar.
Here is the recipe.
Caramel Pumpkin Scones
4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. each salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger
1/2 t. cloves
1 1/2 sticks cold butter
1 c. cooked pumpkin or winter squash
3 oz. milk
2 eggs
Caramel:
2/3 c. sugar
3 T. butter
2 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine flour with sugar, baking powder and spices and stir to blend. Cut in butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Combine pumpkin or squash with the milk and eggs and stir into the flour mixture. Stir until well mixed. Dough should be just a little sticky. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheets- leaving a couple of inches between them. Hint: If you spray a little non-stick spray on the cookie scoop first the dough will pop out easier. Bake for 15 minutes or until scones are browned on the bottom and just getting golden on the top. If you want to put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time- switch them half way through the baking time and allow a few extra minutes. Remove scones to cooling rack.
Meanwhile make caramel by placing the sugar in a small saucepan and cooking over medium heat until sugar has melted and turned a golden color. Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Mixture will bubble a lot. Keep stirring until smooth. Mixture is really hot. You can hold the scones and dip the tops in the warm caramel mixture or use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the top. If you are dipping the scones transfer the caramel into another container- the saucepan will be hot and make it tricky to dip them without getting burned. I used a shallow metal bowl and it worked great. Caramel will be very shiny and sticky but will cool down and become less shiny and sticky. Makes about 20-30 depending on the size of the scoop you use.
Oxtails with Tomato Gravy
Oxtails with Tomato Gravy
One of my favorite meals when I was growing up was my Mother’s oxtail soup. It would simmer for hours and the house always smelled so good. I got some oxtails the other day and decided to braise them. They were amazing and so simple to do. The hardest part of cooking oxtails is having to wait for them to cook long enough to get tender.
I started by browning the oxtails in a pot. I then covered them with water, added some onion, celery and salt and covered the pot. I cooked the oxtails at a simmer for a couple of hours. Once they were getting tender I added carrots, potatoes, corn on the cob ( broken into 3 -inch pieces) and 3 cups of fresh tomatoes which I had peeled and chopped. I also added half a cup of red wine, more salt and fresh ground pepper. As the veggies I got tender I left the lid partially off so the liquid would reduce.
I pulled out the meat and veggies and set them aside, loosely covered with foil while I finished the tomato gravy. I skimmed fat off the top of the liquid in pan and increased the heat to high. I cooked it until it reduced by half and had about a cup and a half of sauce. It was still a little thinner than I wanted so I combined 1 tablespoon of flour with about 1/4 cup of cold water in a small jar. I shook it until it was smooth and poured it into the pan. I let it simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken and cook the flour. I adjusted the seasoning and returned the oxtails to the pot, turning them to coat in the tomato “gravy” in the pan. Served the oxtails with the corn, carrots and potatoes. So good.
