Gnocchi 13 December 2005, 19:55


Process, December 1, 2005


With fresh tomato, garlic, oregano and red wine, November 9, 2005

I have so enjoyed fresh gnocchi on my visits to the north of Italy. Some of the best were in a student restaurant in Torino with Dad in 2001, multicoloured and shaped like eensy mini marshmallows.

I tried the potato gnocchi recipe from the Cuisine of Venice and Surrounding Northern Regions cookbook. Though I mixed my first batch by hand according to the recipe (thanks Terri for her patience), it turns out that the dumplings are just as soft when I use cooled potatoes and the food processor. A far cry from the overdeveloped-gluten type supermarkets keep on the shelf.

The sauce we had for our primi Nov 5 was an unctuous asiago cream, and our secondi was a veal Cotaletta Milanese with parmesan from the same Venice cookbook. Then we tried a red sauce Nov 9, and then the full-on gorgonzola sauce from the same cookbook Dec 1 with Dad. I’ve made quite a few sauces with this cheese in my time, but the gorgonzola from Paddy’s cheese market was a thing apart.

Next to try will be some of the other gnocchi recipes, like spinach.

The Joy factor

The Joy of Cooking has gnocchi recipes too. In related dumplings, I tried a Joy spätzle recipe topped with my own beef stroganoff Dec 11. We let company into the kitchen so Jenny could show me how she can make 30 spätzeln per minute using only a spoon. The results were soft and fluffy and just about grand, four servings quickly consumed.

My original intention was to make a pork tenderloin dish with these, but Igor had a very nice idea with the stroganoff. However, grilling steak is wasted on this dish, and we are reminded that the barbecuing weather hasn’t left us yet!

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