Time, commitment, patience, helpers and a big bottle of wine

As promised, post numero dos!  Today I will be writing the largest, the hardest and the most comprehensive chapter of my thesis.  I figured by writing here first I would grease the creative wheels a bit.  Plus, I am only on cup two of coffee.  My fingers and brain have yet to be adequately primed.

Thesis writing aside, I have a meal of epic proportions today: gnocchi (or as my friend/ roommate/landlord Brooke says endearingly: gnotchi).  Every time I see gnocchi  on a restaurant menu I have to order it.  I love the delicacy (most often) of these little Italian potato dumplings.  The ideal gnocchi is light and airy and will be the perfect platform for your favorite sauce(s).

Gnocchi has been high on my bucket list ever since Martha Stewart published a spread about it a number of years ago.  However, I have never had the necessary equipment -- a potato rice or food mill. Thanks to the graciousness of friends, I now my possess my very own food mill!  Potatoes around the State just shivered.

According to Jaime Oliver (not Italian but my most admired foodie), "proper gnocchi is simply made from potatoes, flour, egg and seasoning."  The secret to perfect gnocchi, per Jaime, is to bake your potatoes, making for light, dry, fluffy flesh.  You want to use as little flour as possible to achieve the same lightness in the finished product.  Finding the right amount of flour took some practice for us.  We felt like Goldilocks trying out beds -- eventually we got the flour just right.

Making gnocchi is much like making pasta -- it requires time, commitment, patience, helpers and a big bottle of wine.  Now that I think about it, writing a thesis is much like making gnocchi.  Is it too early to start drinking wine?

Roasty, toasty.

Scooping out the potato flesh.

My new favorite kitchen utensil.

Thank you Ashley's garage sale leftovers!  

I wish you could touch this -- lovely lightness.

One egg yolk, salt/pepper and a dash of nutmeg.

The first bed -- not enough flour.

The second bed -- more flour.

The third bed -- just right.

They conveniently float to the surface when finished cooking.

A busy, occupied kitchen = Hailey's happy place.

First sauce: sautéed mushrooms with sage, thyme and brown butter.

Second sauce: roasted and fresh tomatoes with feta.

What I would give for some of these leftovers right now.

Potato gnocchi

thanks to Jaime Oliver's Cook with Jaime

Here's the recipe in all of his charm:

6 medium potatoes

olive oil

1/2 a nutmeg, grated

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 large free-range egg yolk

1-2 handfuls of all-purpose flour

semolina flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Rub your potatoes with olive oil, prick them with a fork and lay them in a roasting tray.  Put in the preheated oven and bake for an hour until the potatoes are fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.  allow them to cool for a couple of minutes and then, when they are still nice and hot, use a dish towel to pick up your potatoes one at a time, cut them in half and carefully scoop the flesh out of the skins into a ricer.  When you have lovely and smooth mashed potato, put it into a bowl.  Add the nutmeg, a tablespoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, the egg yolk and enough of the flour to bind your mixture -- you may not need it all.  Mix together and then knead with your hands until you have a dry, doughy consistency.  Add a little water if it feels too dry, or a little more flour if it's too wet.  To get the hang of perfect gnocchi dough, you'll have to practice a few times. **the best advice in the recipe!!!** If you're unsure, try testing one by chucking it in some boiling water -- if it falls apart, add a bit more flour to the dough.

Once you have your gnocchi dough, divide it into 3 pieces and roll each piece out on a floured surface into long tubes the thickness of a sausage.  Cut each of the tubes into 1 inch pieces. Place them on a bed of semolina flour on a tray and put in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes.

Cook gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water for about 4 minutes or until they float to the surface.  Once, cooked the gnocchi are very delicate, so carefully drain them in a colander.  Add them to your sauce and Enjoy!

My yolk was in fact free range -- thanks Ashley!  I didn't have fresh nutmeg, a dash of ground worked great.  Also, I didn't have semolina flour.  Regular old flour worked swell. Also, we determined that smaller gnocchi is both cuter and more functional.  Try this recipe. You won't be disappointed!