Potato Pillows

Well, tonight I decided to make some gnocchi, using my new (old) potato ricer, as well as this gnocchi board that my brother bought me a few months ago. Making the actual gnocchi was about as far ahead as I had planned for tonight's meal, however, so this was going to be a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" type of dinner!

from Flickr - by Samer Farha

I got the potatoes in a pot to cook, and then focused my attention on what I could do to make this ingredient into a meal! You've seen the gnocchi process before, so I won't bore you with it again. I do have to apologize however, because I was so engaged in making this dish up as I went along...that my camera got left behind. I have a picture of the finished dish...but nothing along the way. Don't worry, we can always rely on Flickr for some pretty images. :)

My husband was running to the store for something, so as he ran out the door, I yelled to him to get some pancetta. Pancetta makes for a nice, salty component in a pasta dish, so I started with that. Okay, what else do I have? A shallot, some garlic cloves, some greens left over from the CSA share (I'm pretty sure they were baby bok choy), some frozen peas...and some butter and white wine. Okay...I can totally do this!

from Flickr - by Patent and the Pantry

Once the gnocchi was made, and boiled, I started sauteeing some minced garlic and shallots with some butter. Once they had a nice aroma, I added the pancetta to the pan and allowed it to simmer and brown for a few minutes. I added some white wine, and another pad of butter...and the gnocchi. While everything was browning together, I added the greens (allowing them to wilt) and the peas (allowing them to thaw quickly). The final touch was some grated parmesan, and some salt and pepper. A quick taste...and YUM! I worked it out!

I served the gnocchi alongside an artichoke, because we all know that I love artichokes! :) It was a totally delicious and fulfilling meal, and I was so psyched that it came out as well as it did! No recipe required - although, feel free to give this a go - because goodness, it was hearty and delicious!

My New (Old) Potato Ricer

While we were in Vermont this weekend, we decided to visit the Farmer's Diner for breakfast. This is a great establishment that uses locally sourced ingredients to make delicious meals for its patrons. I love going here when we're in the area, but on top of the delicious food and fresh, local ingredients, they also allowed us to bring Oia (the puppy) on to the patio while we ate!

from Flickr - by kaszeta

In the same complex as the diner, there is a huge antique fair that is always full of interesting finds. I love to wander the stalls and see what kinds of fun kitchen oddities I can find! Today was no exception, but they were having an outdoor flea market as well! As I browsed the tables for anything that struck my fancy, I happened upon an old potato ricer. This gadget will usually run you $20 and up, and that is the main reason why I didn't own one. Gnocchi is best made using a potato ricer because of the fineness that can be achieved in the consistency of the cooked potato. Until now, I've just used a fork or a masher to make my gnocchi "dough."

I couldn't resist the deal I found at the flea market, though. This is an old model of a potato ricer. It's a little clunky, but with the bright red metal handle, and the sturdiness of the gadget, I was really excited to see a price tag of $7. As I approached the gentleman behind the table, I said "Is this an old-school potato ricer? It's fantastic!" His response: "It sure is, $5!" Wow, I didn't even have to argue over the price, he just lowered it for me! I was going to give him $7, but hey...I'm not a girl to pass up a deal, so I pulled out a $5 bill and handed it over...and came home with my brand new (pretty old) potato ricer! It's so cute, isn't it!? While I was at Whole Foods earlier, I also grabbed some potatoes, so be on the lookout later this week for some fresh gnocchi! YUM!

A Day Full of Homemade Goodness

Today, I spent quite a bit of time in my kitchen. After "springing forward" in time this morning, I decided it would also be a good idea to start some spring-cleaning, and the kitchen and the bathroom are always the most time-consuming, so I try and attack them first. I did the bathroom yesterday, so today called for a good kitchen-scrubbin'! And scrub I did - it's so sparkly and clean now!

While I was cleaning, I poured the ingredients into my Breadman TR2700 for a loaf of Italian Parmesan Herb bread, too. Multi-tasking at its finest! The loaf came out wonderfully - fluffy, herby and delicious!

After the hours spent in the kitchen during the day today, I had to venture back in to make dinner, and as I looked at the things left on my current menu, I decided to make some gnocchi tonight. The recipe that I'm making, Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas, actually calls for store-bought gnocchi, which would make this one of the quickest recipes ever, I think...so if you are looking for a quick, week-night meal, this would be it! However, if you've been reading this blog, you'd already have guessed that I don't take the easy way out...so I'm making some fresh gnocchi tonight while my husband is at his hockey game.

First things first, you need to boil about 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes. When you boil potatoes, you want to put them in an empty pot, large enough for the potatoes to lay in a single layer on the bottom, and deep enough that water will be able to cover the potatoes and then some. Once the potatoes are in the pot, then fill it with water, covering the potatoes. Add some salt and stir around a bit. Now you can place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Once it arrives at a rolling boil, turn the temperature down a little bit, so the water stays at a simmer, and cook the potatoes for 30 - 40 minutes, or until they are easily pierced with a fork.

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and peel them while still hot. I use a towel or pot holder to protect my sensitive finger skin from burning! :) Once they are peeled, you'll want to run the potatoes through a ricer immediately. I don't own a ricer...yet...so I decided to use the small-holed side of a grater to get a similar effect. It didn't work as well as I'd hoped, since the potatoes just kind of fell apart in my hands, but I got the majority of the potatoes grated before using a masher to finish the job...and I might have burned off a few fingerprints...not sure though.

You have to allow the potatoes to cool completely before moving on to the next step in the process. Once cooled, sprinkle the potatoes with 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of salt. Top all that with one large beaten egg.

Knead the mixture until it turns into a smooth but not elastic dough. Dust the concoction with flour if it becomes sticky, but don't overwork the dough.

At this point, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each portion into a rope, about 24-inches long. Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces.

As you cut the pieces, roll each little pillow against the tines of a small fork to make ridges and then arrange them on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and lightly floured.

When you go to cook your homemade gnocchi, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add a few handfuls at a time. Cook them until they have floated to the top, about 2 - 3 minutes, and transfer them directly to whatever sauce you are using. You can also freeze the gnocchi by placing it in the freezer on baking sheets until firm; then transfer them to freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking them.

Mmm, this is delicious, and once the gnocchi is made, this recipe takes about 7 minutes, total. If that's not a quick dinner, I don't know what is.