Toasted Gnocchi

We had my parents over for dinner the other evening, and I was in the mood to cook all day and make a (hopefully) scrumptious dinner. Indeed...the day of cooking was well worth the effort! One of the components of the dinner was toasted gnocchi. We had this dish for the first time on our trip to Napa in March, and Bunker and I just feel in love with the dichotomy in texture between the crispy outside and the soft inside. You can pair this gnocchi with whatever sauce you desire. We paired ours with an amazing red wine sauce from the Roasted Lamb that we had that evening (recipe to come). 

Here you can see the gnocchi with the sauce.

This recipe is compliments of Tyler Florence via Food and Wine.

Sunset at Pebble...breathtaking. 

This is from the first day...the two figures off in the distance are Andy and Bunker. 

Dad, Andy and Bunker at the end of their first golfing day...they played Pebble Beach!

Bunker in action. 

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Ricotta (13 ounces)

2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 tablespoons of butter

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups of ricotta, the 2 egg yolks and the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. 

2. Once these three ingredients are nicely combined, add the 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour to the mixture. 

3. Stir together until a very soft dough forms. 

4. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface, and then wrap with plastic wrap. 

5. Set the dough aside for 30 minutes to let the dough rest. 

6. After the 30 minutes have passed, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. 

7. Roll the dough into 2 long ropes, each measuring about 1 inch in diameter. 

8. Using a floured knife, cut the ropes into several 1/2 inch long pieces. 

9. Place the gnocchi onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. 

10. At this point, you can cover the gnocchi and place them in the fridge for up to one day. I made mine in the morning and then cooked them that night. Such a time saver and kitchen mess saver if you have guests coming over! I also think that gnocchi is easier to work with when it is cold. 

11. When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, prepare another bowl with ice water, you will use this right after the gnocchi are done cooking, so have the ice water ready to go before you put the gnocchi in the boiling water.

12. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, and then continue to cook for about 2 minutes. You want the gnocchi to be firm, but not tough. 

13. Using a slotted spoon, pull the gnocchi out of the boiling water and place the gnocchi immediately into the ice water. This will stop the cooking. 

14. Drain the gnocchi from the ice water and pat dry. 

15. In a large skillet over high heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. 

16.  Add the gnocchi to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, turning once, so that both sides are golden brown. 

17. Serve the gnocchi immediately with your sauce of choice. You could also enjoy simply enjoy these with the melted butter in the skillet.  

Mom and Suzie

I am looking at the rocks in the water...covered in seals! 

The girls say hi!

And with this picture...I am going to go snuggle up with this little one and listen to the rain. 

Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Corn

I love gnocchi. It is so delicate, so fluffy, so perfectly tender. I am, however, not the best at making homemade gnocchi. I have had many failures before. Sometimes they are too dense, sometimes they melt together once I take them out of the boiling water, sometimes they melt together in the boiling water! However, I cannot seem to get rid of the itch to make homemade (and edible) gnocchi. I am glad I did not give up the fight! I have finally found the perfect recipe and technique for perfectly tasty, delicate, light and airy gnocchi! Find my inspiration at Food and Wine, it is a Tyler Florence recipe, he is by far my favorite chef.

The sauce is of my own making. Something springy...even though we are in the middle of the hottest summer I can remember. I think that says more about my memory than about the heat.

Please enjoy, and please follow the recipe exactly for the gnocchi, but veer as far off course as you wish with the sauce to satiate exactly what you are craving.

Shafer with her CJ and Grand-daddy Doc at the lake!

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Ingredients for Gnocchi:
1 1/2 cups Ricotta
2 Egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Ingredients for Sauce:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 slices of prosciutto
1 cup of corn
1 cup of peas
2 tablespoons of reduced balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of shaved Parmesan cheese

Steps for Gnocchi:
1. Combine the ricotta with the two egg yolks and salt in a large bowl and stir until well mixed together.

2. Add the 3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of flour to the ricotta mixture.

3. Stir until a rather sticky and soft but not entirely wet dough forms.

4. Sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Knead for about 3 to 5 minutes. The dough will be a bit tacky.

5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the freezer for 30 minutes. *****I have found this step to be essential in making gnocchi*****

6. After the dough has hardened a bit (no more than 30 minutes), you can roll the dough out into 4 strands that are about an inch in width.

7. Cut these ropes of dough into 1/2 inch pieces with a floured knife.

8. Transfer these pieces to wax paper.

9. Place the gnocchi back into the freezer for another 30 minutes. *****Again...essential for me at least...*****

10. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi.

11. Let boil until the gnocchi comes to the surface, and then continue to boil for another 2 minutes.
12. Transfer the gnocchi to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

13. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and then add the gnocchi to the brown the gnocchi on all sides.

Steps for Sauce:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.
2. Add the sliced prosciutto, peas, corn and reduced balsamic vinegar to the olive oil.

3. Add the browned gnocchi to the sauce.

4. Sprinkle the shaved Parmesan cheese onto the gnocchi.

Enjoy with a hearty loaf of bread and a Chardonnay!

Yet another play session!