L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 34 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES T here are several variations of gnocchi, but this classic potato gnocchi is a must have in your recipe collection. A simple tomato sauce or even s p i c e d u p a b i t , m a k e t h e s e gnocchi irresistible. It is com- monly believed that gnocchi are tedious to make or take a long time, but in fact it is easy to do and with just some simple ingre- dients you can whip up a large batch! Gnocchi, in some form or a n o t h e r , c a n b e f o u n d i n a l l regions of Italy. Ingredients range from pota- to, flour, squash, chestnut flour, p u m p k i n , r i c o t t a , s p i n a c h , b r e a d c r u m b s , s e m o l i n a , a n d almond flour, just to name a few. As a predecessor to pasta, gnocchi or some version of it, fed large families through many famines. There is something humbling about eating a plate of homemade gnocchi. Although you can now find gnocchi in specialty stores, it remains one of those dishes that are synony- mous with Nonna's kitchen and are worth learning how to make at home. The indents in the gnocchi are important as they "attract' the sauce onto them. You can make the indented texture using the handy tool shown in the photos, the tines on the back of a fork or by hand with your fin- gers rolling the gnocchi first backward then forward. You can of course just leave them as smooth little dumplings but the added texture gives each gnocco many crevices for sauce to hide e n s u r i n g e a c h b i t e i s f u l l o f flavour. T h i s r e c i p e c o m e s f r o m Nonna Anna. She is a marvel in the kitchen and loves to share h e r r e c i p e s a n d k n o w h o w . Along with her husband Bruno t h e y a r e a n i n s p i r a t i o n ! Gardening, preserving, cooking, b a k i n g , c u r i n g m e a t ( l o t s o f beautiful meats!), making wine – you name it they do it and always with passion and a smile! Three of their grandchildren joined us for a fresh gnocchi lunch – we were told this is a daily event for them:) Classic nonni, making sure the kids are fed! Mix the ingredients while the potatoes are still hot/warm or it will be more difficult to knead a n d t h e g n o c c h i w i l l b e t o o chewy. Also, you don't want to over-knead or you develop the g l u t e n a n d o n c e a g a i n h a v e gnocchi that are too chewy. You simply just want to incorporate the flour and make sure there are no lumps. A potato ricer is an i d e a l t o o l t o p r e p a r e y o u r c o o k e d p o t a t o e s f o r m a k i n g gnocchi. Don't keep your fin- ished gnocchi lying around too long. Place the gnocchi in the freezer unless you are cooking them right away. You can make plenty ahead as they store well in the freezer. This is a great recipe to get kids involved with too. They love rolling the dough, cutting l i t t l e s t r i p s a n d m a k i n g t h e indents. When my brother and I were young, we would help our nonna make large batches of these and we would turn it into a game of seeing who could flick the gnocchi the farthest while making the indents. Nonna was not impressed! Angela says her mom used to entice them to help by making a couple extra long gnocchi and seeing who's plate they ended up in. Starting young is a sure way to promote cooking and good health! Anna served these gnocchi with a delicious tomato sauce spiced up with hot sausages. She says her sauce is never the same two days in a row. Use your favorite tomato sauce, even a white sauce will work, and enjoy immediately after cooking! Ingredients • 700gm boiled regular white p o t a t o e s w i t h s k i n o n ( t h e 700gm is skin off/boiled weight) • 3.5 to 4 cups all purpose flour • 1 large egg • 1/2 tsp salt • 1 tablespoon grated parme- san cheese (optional) Instructions 1. Boil enough potatoes with their skin on in salted water to yield 700gm of boiled/skin off potato weight. Use a potato ricer to mash well. 2. Add the flour, egg, salt, and parmesan cheese, if using, and mix well. Work the dough gently for a couple of minutes to bring it together into a uniform dough. 3. Form into a ball, flatten and shape into a circle then roll the dough to about ½" thickness. 4. Keep flouring your work surface lightly as needed. Keep the dough covered with a damp- ened tea towel while you work. 5. Cut the dough into 1" thick strips at a time and roll into 1/2" diameter log. Cut the log into 3 / 4 " - 1 " l o n g p i e c e s . M a k e i n d e n t s i n e a c h g n o c c h i b y pressing down in the middle of each piece with two fingers and g e n t l y r o l l b a c k a n d f o r t h . A l t e r n a t i v e l y y o u c a n u s e a gnocchi tool or the tines of a fork. Keep the gnocchi in single layers pieces and place them in the freezer immediately (unless y o u a r e c o o k i n g t h e m r i g h t away). If you are keeping them for use later on, once they are frozen, you can gather and put them into an airtight container. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the frozen gnocchi. Cook for 9 1/2 to 10 minutes. Drain and add tomato sauce and more parmesan cheese if you like. Toss well but gently and serve immediately. Notes I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o m i x t h e ingredients and form the dough while the potatoes are still warm but cool enough to handle. A l l o w a b o u t 1 & 1 / 2 c u p s frozen gnocchi per person. Potato gnocchi with tomato sauce spiced up with hot sausages. Photo: Nonna's Way Classic Potato Gnocchi ANNA ROMANO & ANGELA DESALVO You can make the indented texture using the tool or the tines on the back of a fork. Photo: Nonna's Way

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