…gnocchetti di verza

Ingredienti : 1 verza abbastanza piccola, 100 g. di ricotta , 3 uova, 150 gr. di pane pangrattato, 1  cipolla,  burro, salvia, sale e pepe

In una pentola con acqua bollente faccio  sbollentare la verza per qualche minuto, poi la scolo e la passo in un tegame dove ho fatto soffriggere il burro con la cipolla finemente affettata  e la faccio insaporire per qualche minuto, poi aggiungo il sale e il pepe. Trito il tutto ed aggiungere il pane s, la ricotta e le uova.. Amalgamo il composto e se troppo morbido aggiungo altro pangrattato. Impastare bene, e formo dei gnocchetti  che faccio bollire in acqua salata. Quando vengono a galla li scolo e li servo conditi  con burro fuso e salvia.

This weekend, we had our first Taste Space potluck where we each made a dish to share and learn more about/from each other. I am excited about how this blgo will bring us together as new and old friends, with lots of yummy food!

My contribution was this lovely pan-fried pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter sage, from the Steamy Kitchen.  I have made her pan-fried lemon ricotta gnocchi which were simply heaven on my tongue (moist, melt in your melt soft, with a hint of lemon within a pillow-soft cheese base), so I knew they were coming from a great source and would be easy to make.  Personally, I prefer the lemon ricotta gnocchi, but the pumpkin was a nice change.  It has a heavy cheese taste as there is lots of ricotta and parmesan cheese within the gnocchi. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best dish for a potluck, as the gnocchi toughened up a bit while they were being kept warm in the oven as we took the photos (yes, I did sneak a few to make sure they were cooked all the way through).

Not only was this the first time I cooked with pumpkin, it was also the first time I cooked with sage, so I am submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Lynne. Don’t worry, I have plenty more pumpkin recipes to come and I still have to investigate other uses for sage in the meantime.

Pan-Fried Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage
As posted by Steamy Kitchen

1/2 cup skim milk ricotta
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup freshly grated parmegiano reggiano
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon zest (plus extra reserved for garnishing)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
3 sprigs fresh sage, plus more for garnish
shaved parmegiano reggiano for serving

Preheat oven to 300F

1. Combine ricotta, pumpkin parmagiano, yolk, zest and salt in large bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle half of the flour on the mixture, gently turn with spatula a few times to incorporate. Dump mixture on clean, lightly floured countertop or you can still do this in the bowl. Sprinkle remaining flour on top of the mixture. Gently knead with your fingertips, just bringing together the mixture until flour is incorporated through. This only should take a minute or two. Any longer and you will be over-kneading.

2. Dust a clean, dry surface with a generous sprinkling of flour. Divide dough into 4 parts. Take one part and roll into a long, 1″ diameter log. Cut gnocchi into 1″ pieces.

3. Heat a large frying pan or saute pan with just 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add a few gnocchi – enough to cover surface but not touch each other. Fry on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, turn and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Remove gnocchi, place on large baking sheet to put into oven to keep warm. Repeat with rest of gnocchi.

4. When all gnocchi is finished, discard butter/oil in pan and clean pan with paper towel. Heat pan on medium heat and when hot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the fresh sage. Let the sage brown and sizzle (but not burn) for a couple of minutes until very fragrant. Remove the sage and discard if you want (or keep it in to eat). To the pan, add the balsamic vinegar and whisk. Let simmer on low for 1 minute and pour over the gnocchi.

5. Serve with shaved parmegiano reggiano and a sage leaf for garnish.

Serves 4.

Last week we, the HK Chefs Association (www.hongkong-chefs.com ) and the US Potato Board had organized a seminar about US potatoes, with 10 Invited HK Chefs, 10 from Malaysia and 10 from Singapore. Additionall at the HKCA we had about 12 Chefs put together recipes, pictures and demonstrations put together to give at the seminar. it was a 2 day event which was a great event I have to say it was interactive, hands on and educational. Demo’s were given, recipes supplied and then the same dishes had to be re-cooked by team participants!

a fun few days it was, here are the images and some of the innovative recipes!

Mr. Potato Head Dim Sum

Potato Quiche as Appetizer

Yellow Potato and Tuna Salad

Potato Salad

Potato Dumplings (Dessert)

Potatoes used

Chinese Baked Potatoes with Mickey Mouse Logo

Sweet Potato Brulee

Tuna and Steamed Potato

Gnocchi

Roesti

Gnocchi with Crab, originally uploaded by Jen Chan.

In this awesome uni sauce. My favourite of the night.

The white was light and a great match to the gnocchi.

// Elemental @ The Gasworks 3309 Wallingford Ave N, WA Seattle | Worth a second visit to Elemental on foodpr0n.com

Who knew I could feed myself from a front yard garden alone? Other than the flour, I grew everything for this dish in my small, urban yard; potatoes, garlic, chard, tomatoes and squash.

I may have mentioned my front yard transformation last spring. With the help of a great neighbour, a dumping of dirt, a seed catalogue and some eager kids, we transferred lawn into an edible space.

Less the brussels sprouts and the chard, most of the garden now harvested. There were the three varieties of potatoes; Peruvian Reds, Blue and Russian Fingerlings, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash, sweet Yellow Pear Tomatoes just for this dish alone. (It doesn’t even hint at the edamame, peas, beans, beets, asparagus, blueberries, herbs, okra, cabbages, zucchini, pumpkins… corn… wow!)

After digging up a surplus of potatoes, I needed a few ideas on what to do with them. With BBQ season pretty much a thing of the past, potato salad wasn’t topping my list as much as the gnocchi. Besides, I just had to when I saw the light pinkiness of the potatoes and the great texture that was perfect for such a thing.

Feeding yourself all on your own, that’s local.
Now, that’s something to be thankful for!

PERUVIAN PINK POTATO GNOCCHI

1Lb Potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed (you can use other starchy potatoes, like Russetts as well)
1 Cup All Purpose Flour, plus more for rolling.
1/4 teaspoon Salt

In a large bowl, finely mash the cooked potatoes so they are lump free.
Add the salt and half of the flour then add 1/4 cup at a time stirring to combine and bring everything together in a smooth dough. You may not need it all.
Depending on your work surface, third or quarter the dough. Take one piece and cover remaining pieces.
Roll the dough into long “snakes” and cut into 1″ pieces.
Roll each piece off the back of a floured fork and repeat finishing all of the dough.
Drop into salted boiling water and cook gnocchi until they float; about 3 – 4 minutes.

While the gnocchi were boiling I made the “sauce” of tomatoes, chard, squash and garlic.
I cubed the peeled, cleaned squash and sautéed it, covered in a large, lightly oiled pan. Once the pieces began to soften, I removed the lid to let the stem escape and pieces brown.
I added two cloves of finely chopped garlic and the chard to cook for another two minutes.
Once the chard had wilted, I added 1 cup of sliced yellow pear tomatoes, salt, pepper and a palmful of chopped basil.
Simple and delicious.

PREPARACION

Ñoquis
Hervir las papas, hacer un puré e integrar la harina tamizada con almidón de maíz, el huevo, la manteca, sal y pimienta. Amasar hasta que quede todo bien mezclado. Dividir la masa en porciones, amasar formando tiras redondas sobre una mesa enharinada cortar pequeños dados y pasarlos por el molde de hacer ñoquis o por un tenedor para ahuecarlos.

Salsa
En una sartén rehogar la cebolla picada con la manteca hasta que esté transparente, agregarle la harina y mezclar cocinando 1 minuto. Incorporar lentamente la leche caliente donde se habrá disuelto el cubo de caldo de verduras y dejar hervir 3 minutos. Incorporar los champiñones cortados en cuartos y el jamón cocido en cubos.

Montaje
Cocinar los ñoquis en abundante agua hirviendo con sal y retirarlos cuando suban a la superficie. Servir con la salsa.

I can’t believe it is Sunday night already! The weekend has flown by.

I started my Saturday by getting out of bed at 6 AM to head to the Give Thanks Walk. I had to be there by 7 AM to help set up before other walkers began to arrive.

I thought that the city looked so pretty as I was driving down the interstate. I tried to take a picture, and obviously that didn’t work out so well for me.

I decided to try a Clif bar for breakfast. I chose the chocolate almond fudge bar because those a flavors usually very appealing to me.

I didn’t like this at all. I ate half, just so I wouldn’t be starving over the few hours I would be at the walk. The other half went into the trash.

I wanted to take pictures of the walk, but I didn’t want to have to keep up with my camera during set up. It was cold outside and my pocket space was being used exclusively by may hands, whenever possible.

The event went great! Charlotte raised over $33K for St. Jude. I walked the whole 5K although my knee started giving me problems half way through. Going up the hills, even a small incline became pretty uncomfortable.  But I made it and I was happy to show my support, eben if I was limping part of the way.

After closing ceremonies my family decided to hit up Shoney’s for a meal. Two of my Aunts, and Uncle, my parents, and me and Brian all went together. My cuz had to head out with her boyfriend because of some family photos.

Since it was 11 and I am not really  huge breakfast person my Mom and I split  Pepper Jack Chicken Club with some fries.

They totally shorted us on the fries. The sandwich was great once I peeled off the onions. Ick.

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful. My stiff lower body did not want to move. My Mom and I did a little shopping.  We are looking for deals on maternity clothes for my sister in law. Sophie and my brother live in Germany and apparently maternity clothes are expensive over there. We found a few really cute things at Target, but nothing substantial enough to keep her warm through a cold German winter.

We also made a trip to The Fresh Market to pick up some stuff for dinner. We ended up buying some french bread and spinach artichoke dip. We all munch on this throughout the afternoon.

We also picked up some hot italian sausage and whole wheat gnocchi. I was feeling pretty uninspired and was having a hard time deciding on what to cook with the sausage. We decided on meatballs.

3 links of sausage made 8 meatballs. We made the meatballs using the sausage, 1 egg, and a 1/2 cup of a combo of regular and panko bread crumbs.

After boiling the gnocchi I sautéed them in butter and dried sage. I don’t like doughy gnocchi, but I love them this way. We just used some Ragu Garden Combination marinara that we had in the fridge.

Plus some green.

Drizzled with Ken’s Steak House Healthy Options Oil and Vinegar dressing. I picked around the onions.

And for dessert….

Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Yogurt Blends. I  made a strawberry sauce as a topping by heating up some frozen strawberries with water and about 2 tbsp of sugar on the stove top. Then I pureed with my immersion blender. Plus a few semi sweet chocolate chips. So good.

I desperately needed and wanted some sleep last night. All was well until 6 AM when Piper woke me up. She was having stomach issues again. She is so good and I hate she is having so many problems. Nobody knows what to do.

After I cleaned up a little bit of a mess and got Piper back inside and settled I got to get back into bed and stayed there until 8 when Piper heard my parents and Zeke rustling around and wanted to join them.

On a completely different note… my mom and I found some more doggie fleeces at Target for $2.50! I got Piper another one and my Mom got Zeke 2. They are adorable!

Now to breakfast. I felt all ick from my early morning wake up so I kept it simple. Toast with Nutella.

Nutella is so yummy. But I wasn’t into this and only ate about 3/4 of it.

I ended up eating some nuts once I got down to my Pawpaw’s house later in the morning. Brian had to work so I decided to go down with my parents and hang out for a while.

Not long after that we went to lunch. We went to a local mexican place. Of course there was chips and salsa.

Me and my Mom split the lunch fajita plate.

We each got 1 tortilla to stuff full of these goodies. Then we just ate the rest by itself. These fajitas had squash. I have never seen that before but I love it!

And for dessert…

My grandparents always kept a candy drawer stocked for me and my brother. There have always been goodies like fruit roll ups and milky ways stashed in there for us. I usually have at least one anytime I am down there.

My Mom and I did a little more shopping, but I was so stiff and tired I wasn’t motivated to do much. I did fund a cute Kristen Davis sweater for 10 bucks a Belk. I love a good deal!

On my way home I munched on a Kashi granola bar that I got from the walk yesterday.

I thought it was pretty bland. Way better than the Clif bar yesterday though. It just didn’t taste like anything. It wasn’t particularly sweet, salty, or nutty; but that didn’t stop me from eating the whole thing.

Brian hadn’t eaten lunch at all and was ready for a snack when I got home. I made some french bread cheese pizzas with the leftover french bread rounds from yesterday.

Supper simple and yummy.

It was time for dinner in no time. Brian let me watch this past weeks Top Chef on DVR while he cooked.

Dinner was just a random pairing of foods that we had on hand and that sounded good individually. None of them made sense together.

Boiled shrimp (they were huge!), Green Giant green bean casserole, and Betty Crocker Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad. Plus Brian made some spicy cocktail sauce.

It may have been random but it was delicious. Plus Brian cleaned up too! He is so good to me.

And for dessert…

More FroYo! It was even better tonight because the strawberry sauce was cold.

That is all for my weekend. It is time to get some rest so I can prepare myself for the 1 1/2 days that I have to work this week. See you in the morning!

Wednesday (Merc’her)

Well, let me see… I cannot remember when I last blogged, but I feel it may have been Tuesday. So, continuons. Wednesday was a lovely day of nothing, with the occasional sniffle and sneeze. I went to town, had some lovely “gnocchi indy” from Mezzo di Pasta (I’m gonna quite miss that place when I’m home…), bought various Christmas presents for peoples (the sister and the wife), and then ventured home to get some work done. That was Wednesday.

Thursday (Yaou)

Thursday, as per, commenced with 3 boring hours of “how to write a commentary on a document”. Seriously. So difficult to pay attention. Anyway, on the way there, I noticed some graffiti on the ground, or “ground graffiti” as I like to call it. Well, graffiti isn’t really the right term to use. Someone had just written “Les droits des enfants, c’est important” on the floor. Various similar messages have been written around the JFK area. It is odd. Mainly because that graffiti is grammatically unsound. It should be “ce sont importants” or just “sont importants”. I may get some white paint and correct it, leaving a mark out of 20 just below.  Cirefe happened, and involved naming the countries of Europe, their inhabitants and what “bloc” we would put them in. But only ones in the EU. It was thrilling.

Thursday finished a little differently this week. I was whisked away into the kitchen (during Merlin, grumble grumble)… They gave me wine, and we established that “Martin” was too difficult for the French to say, so we settled for “Mar-tan”. It got awkward because me and a German girl got speaking in English, which seemed to annoy the rest of them. It’s not my fault that English is the international language of communication, okay? Anyway, 80 minutes, 2 incredibly small glasses of wine and a strong stench of smoke later, I returned to my bedroom. I shall not be doing that again.

Friday (Gwener)

Well, this involved a rare success. I managed to go to my 8h15 lecture. I nearly didn’t, but I convinced myself that I must. The rest of the day didn’t really involve alot. Well, the afternoon/evening did: I had a test in CIREFE, which I’m pretty sure I’ve done terribly on. Oh well. In the soir, we went to see New Moon, after a quick stop for food at Quick. Quick is vile. It is so unbelievably unhealthy, and so unbelievably English. I had a “Long Bacon”. It was so odd. It was also 105% of a 8-12 year old’s daily recommended intake of salt. Yes, you read that right. I was outraged. New Moon, or Twilight 2: Tentation as it is called here, was terrible, as predicted. The audience found various parts hilarious: Jacob taking top off; Jacob taking top off in slow-motion; Edward taking top off; Edward proposing. All in all, terrible, but thoroughly enjoyable. It taught me one thing: Dakota Fanning = Evil.

My first attempt at making gnocchi was not as seamless or effortless as I had anticipated. It is definitely not something you want to rush. My doorbell rang and I had to greet my first guest with my hands still covered with lumpy mash potato. Far from ideal… But we live and learn, and hopefully I can steer you away from some of my errors.

Rule number one: Give yourself at least an hour and a half for preparation because if you are a perfectionist, rushing this will be nothing but stressful. In theory it is a very easy recipe.

What you need:
500g potatoes, peeeled and chopped
200g plain flour
Salt and pepper
palmful of chopped basil

What you do:
I found several recipes for homemade gnocchi, some involving egg and some without. In one recipe it advised using egg if you were making gnocchi for the first time because it acts as a binding agent. On the downside, it makes the meal much heavier. As my Italian friend said – “You won’t be able to move for two days”. So, despite being an amateur I resisted the temptation to use eggs and I suggest you do the same. It’s not that hard.

First boil the potatoes for about 25 mins or until ready to mash. Drain out the water mash them until very smooth with no lumps. Gradually add the flour in stages kneading it all together until it binds to make a smooth sticky dough. Season with salt and pepper and add some chopped basil to add some colour. You could use any herbs.

Sprinkle some flour on a clean flat surface and roll our the dough into long thin sausages. Cut into pieces about 2cm thick and press a fork onto the top if you want to try and get a decorative (and professional looking) pattern. I have to admit my pattern was barely noticeable once the dish was ready but it was still worth the try. Once you have all your gnocchi beautifully formed, bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the gnocchi in stages. It only needs a minute or so in the water. As soon as it rises to the surface spoon it out of the water.  Serve immediately with a generous serving of homemade pesto over the top. I also added a dollop of ricotta to give that extra moisture. Have fresh parmesan on the table to add if necessary.

I’m slowly moving in, and officially living in Fairfax. Still lacking consistent internet for the time being. I’m slowly working on building a support system like I used to have. Working on it..  Today was a beautiful autumn day.

I feel like everyday, everything I do is breaking new ground. Its hard, I’m happy, and I’m happy to be here and be with the people I have. I’m especially happy two of them are coming to visit tonight.

Thats about all I’ve got.

Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom cream sauce

Last thursday class of the semester.

Homemade pesto is one of my most recent revelations. It tastes incredibly fresh, is easy to make and what’s more, if you have any lactose intolerant friends (as I do) then you can make it without cheese and it still tastes perfecto. Traditionally pesto is made with pine nuts (which also make a popular allergy) but you can use cashews nuts too.

What you need:
2 cloves garlic
2 cups basil leaves
2 cups cashews or pine nuts or mixture!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan (optional – freshly grated please!)
salt ‘n’ peppa to taste (not really necessary if you use parmesan)

What you do:
Chop it all up in stages. Garlic first, gradually adding basil and nuts. Use a food processor if you are feeling particularly lazy or like it very smooth but I find the slightly chunky texture of handchopping has a more rustic feel. If you are going to add parmesan throw it in once everything is well chopped. Otherwise add a little salt and pepper to taste. Now compress it all into a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over it. Stir it up when you are ready to use.

Serving suggestions:
On crostini or slices of baguette with a sliver or sundried tomato and parmesan shaving to decorate
With any sort of pasta
On a baked potato
Stuffed into a full chicken breast before roasting
Layered with ricotta, basil and spinach to make a fresh vegetable lasagne
On homemade gnocchi. Watch this space. I made some last night!

Ingredienti:

• Carne macinata di manzo
• Carote
• Gnocchi di riso
• Olio di semi
• Olio di semi di sesamo
• Pepe bianco
• Peperone giallo
• Salsa d’ostriche
• Salsa hoisin
• Salsa piccante
• Scalogno
• Sedano
• Vino bianco
• Zenzero fresco
• Zenzero in polvere
• Zucchine

Preparazione:

Mettete in ammollo gli gnocchi di riso per almeno 12 ore.

Prendete poca carne macinata di manzo e mettetela in una ciotola. Unite un cucchiaino di salsa d’ostriche, un cucchiaino di salsa hoisin e un cucchiaino di salsa piccante. Mescolate bene e aggiungete il pepe bianco e lo zenzero in polvere. Mescolate ancora e lasciate da parte.

Pulite le verdure tagliandole a pezzi trasversali. Dividete lo scalogno in due parti, facendo attenzione a non eliminate la radice in modo che le due metà rimangano intere durante la cottura.

Spellate il pomodoro e tagliatelo a striscioline lunghe circa 4 centimetri. Non esagerate con la dose altrimenti il suo sapore coprirà gli altri.

Pulite un pezzetto di radice di zenzero e tenetelo da parte. Fate in modo che il pezzo sia facilmente riconoscibile perché andrà rimosso a fine cottura.

Fate scaldare molto bene il wok e aggiungete poco olio di semi. Quando l’olio sarà ben caldo unite la carne e fatela cuocere a fiamma alta girando spesso in modo da separare bene eventuali grumi. Quando la carne sarà cotta e ben sgranata mettetela in una ciotolina da parte.

Pulite il wok e rimettetelo a scaldare sul fuoco. Aggiungete poco olio di semi e i pezzetti di zenzero.  Unite le carote, poi il peperone, quindi lo scalogno, il sedano e per ultime le zucchine.

Fate saltare le verdure a fiamma vivace aggiungendo di tanto in tanto pochissima acqua per aiutarle nella cottura.

Quando le verdure saranno morbide ma ancora compatte sfumate con poco vino bianco, rimuovete lo zenzero e aggiungete la carne.

Fate insaporire e aggiungete gli gnocchi di riso che avrete scolato in precedenza.

Aggiungete circa mezzo bicchiere piccolo d’acqua e portate a cottura gli gnocchi. Speziate a piacere e servite subito con una guarnizione di erba cipollina fresca o tritando il gambo verde della cipolla fresca.

Provate anche:

Gnocchi di riso

Gnocchi di riso con tofu, verdure e funghi

Gnocchi di riso con mandorle, verdure e funghi

As a writer, I should already know too well the power of words. Oh my word. Words: they blurt out so quickly from our mouths, they type out so nonchalantly from our fingers. Sometimes they have the miraculous power to heal and uplift a person, but at other times…every single of the same word can be like a silent dagger…killing someone softly.

I know I’ll never become one of those gentle, placid, sweet souls…but with a touch of wisdom, guidance, and prudence from God, all that remains is a complex dish, but very well-rounded so that it doesn’t sting.

Gnocchi-bokki
(a variation of the traditional Korean tteokbokki)

• 2 cups commercial spinach gnocchi, uncooked
• 2 heaping spoonfuls gochujang
• 2 heaping spoonfuls soy sauce
• 1/4 cup kabocha puree (or pumpkin)
• 1 tsp honey (or sugar)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch red pepper flakes
• chicken broth
• 2 links sausages, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped radicchio (red cabbage)
• 1/2 large zucchini, julienned
• 1 carrot, shaved into strips
• handful raisins
• 2 sheets nori, shredded
• handful sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 poached eggs

There is no shortage of Italian restaurants in America. They range from Olive Garden (never been there, thank God), the McDonald’s of Italian food, to the star-adorned restaurants of culinary masters who spend years studying the art of Italian cooking, such as Mario Batali’s Babbo in New York City. These types of restaurants sit on opposite ends of the culinary spectrum. The ultimate find would be an Italian  restaurant that has the culinary prowess of Babbo with the accessibility of Olive Garden. Enter Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre, located at 36 Wharf St. in Portland, takes its name from a rugged portion of the Italian Rivera coastline found in the Liguria region of Italy. The “Five Lands” is made up of five distinct costal towns: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  After hearing the restaurant’s name, I was expecting food that resembled the culinary culture of the real Cinque Terre region. Although I didn’t find any, what I did find was a pleasant surprise.

My party was seated promptly at a table for two located by the open kitchen. It was incredible to watch the chefs at work; however, the noise and bustle may have repelled some. Regardless, our waiter announced the specials with skill. One special he named was an adaptation of a regular menu item, the difference being that, for a slight price increase the braised short rib could be replaced by a porterhouse steak. As soon as he said “porterhouse,” I was hooked.

We started off with a grilled pizzetta. Tomato sauce was replaced by pureed squash and topped with mozzarella. The pizza could not have been more perfectly grilled, and the slightly-charred sections of dough were a flavorful compliment to the sweet squash. The combination of crunchy crust and melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella gave the pizzetta an amazing texture.

The salad we chose to accompany the pizzetta was equally delicious. Salty, fresh goat cheese was mixed with spinach, black currants and strawberries, and topped with strawberry vinaigrette.  The combination made me love every bite. Needless to say, the appetizers didn’t last on the plates very long.

As we eagerly anticipated our entrees, I watched the action in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the wait was long. I felt like I was waiting for our entrees to be cooked in Italy and shipped over to us. When they finally arrived, I saw my glorious porterhouse sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes, pearl onions and watercress argodolche. The steak had clearly rested on the plate, because the Yukon gold mashed potatoes were drowning in juices. I’m not complaining, but I wonder if this was the chef’s intention. Despite this presentation, every bit of the meal was absolutely delicious. The mashed potatoes were easily the best I have ever had. My only issue was that the steak was a little south of the medium rare I requested.

The other one member of my dining party ordered gnocchi bathed in an butter- herb sauce. The strong flavors of the sauce complimented the  perfectly-cooked gnocchi beautifully and the dish was perfect, not too heavy, but not too light. After eating the entrees, we were completely stuffed, but considering the quality of the meal thus far, it would have been a crime not to order dessert.

We ordered the Cioccolata, which, despite the complicated menu description, was basically chocolate mousse encased in a dark chocolate shell, all atop a bittersweet chocolate tart. I would go back to Cinque Terre solely for this dessert.

There were no major problems with the food at Cinque Terre. I imagine the restaurant wouldn’t be that far behind the most well-known, one-star Michelin restaurants of more major cities. In fact, the executive chef, Lee Skawinski, is slowly gaining recognition for his talent in the kitchen and for his dedication to farm-to-plate freshness. The service was, however, a bit slow considering the dining room was not full.  One final note: be ready to spend some money. The prices at Cinque Terre reflect the quality of the food. But, unless you are willing to spend money on a plane ticket to Liguria, the prices at Cinque Terre are well worth it.

Cinque Terre

36 Wharf Street

Portland, ME 04101

4 out of 5

Gnocchi di Patate served with tomato and porchini sauce makes a good, quick evening meal. You will love the delicate taste, smooth texture and the fabulous smell of Italian dry porchini. This is a delicious recipe that begs to be tried!

Gnocchi with tomato and porchini sauce

Serves 2

gnocchi di patate @ frock & fork

You will need:

500 g Gnocchi (De Cecco)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small shallot, chopped  (or regular onion)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

300 g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small handful of dry porchini mushroom, soaked in hot water for approx. 15 minutes, water kept

1/2 teaspoon dry Italian herbs mix

1 small handful of fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet pan. Fry gently the shallot and garlic. Add the dry Italian herbs mix and continue frying on a low heat for a minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, adding 2-3 tablespoons of mushroom water throughout cooking. After 10 minutes add the soaked porchini. Cook the potato gnocchi in plenty of salted water, according to the package instructions. It will only take 2-3 minutes. Once the sauce is cooked, add the basil and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with grated parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

]]> http://tiltproject.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/gnocchi-gorgonzola-e-salvia-62-weeks/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:11:03 +0000 tilt2009 http://tiltproject.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/gnocchi-gorgonzola-e-salvia-62-weeks/

Recipe 121: A real classic recipe, super quick, good and very easy to realize is Gnocchi with Butter and Sage. In this case I decided to slightly change the ingredients to make it a bit more tasty (considering the Gnocchi are from London) but without the butter.

So here are the ingredients you will need for 2 people: 400gr potatoes gnocchi – olive oil – 1 onion (i used a red one) – 80gr Gorgonzola – a bit of milk – 1 glass white wine – some sage leaves – Parmesan – nutmeg – salt and pepper.

Normally i would just put some butter in a pan with the sage leaves in pieces and i would add the gnocchi after. Try this if you have some fresh italian gnocchi.

Instead for this recipe you have to cut the onion and put it in a pan with some olive oil. When cooked add some white wine and wait until evaporated. In the meantime cut the gorgonzola and the sage in pieces. At this point, add the cheese, the sage and some milk, and on a low fire, let the gorgonzola melt slowly. When the ingredients are become a cream, close the fire and just add some nutmeg and salt if needed.

In a big saucepan, put a good quantity of water and let it boil with salt. Then put the gnocchi in the water and after maximum 2 minutes, when they finish to come up, take them off the fire and drain them. Finally just add them to the sauce and mix until all the gnocchi are covered by the cream.

Put them in plates with a bit of Parmesan and pepper if you want.

The dish is done! Enjoy!

PS. Mamy questa e’ la prima volta che cambio questa ricetta, ma sono talmente rimasta male dal sapore degli gnocchi le altre volte che li ho fatti solo burro e salvia, che questa volta ho deciso di aggiungerci anche un po’ di gorgonzola… e ci sta proprio benissimo. Lo so e’ pesante in ogni modo, ma almeno sa anche di qualcosa.

Take some chicken thighs, add olive oil to a hot pan.

Brown the chicken in the pan, then remove.

Add chopped onion and red pepper to the pan.

Cook on a low heat until soft.

Add chopped mushrooms.

Meanwhile soak some saffron in a little hot water.

Once the mushrooms, onions and red pepper are cooked, add the chicken.

Add some freshly chopped parsley.

Add the saffron.

Add a couple of large spoonfuls of creme frache, you could use double cream, but I prefer creme frache.

Serve with some freshly cooked gnocchi.

Done.

By Claudia

Nel mio orticello abbondano baby spinaci dal sapore incantevole, e alle mie prime verdurine decenti di questa avventura dell’orto sul terrazzo dedico questa ricettina. Il sapore intenso del gorgonzola e’ “addolcito” dalla crema di spinaci, il tutto amagamato dal curry rendono il piatto perfetto per un’ intensa cena invernale accompagnata da buon vino ed ottima compagnia! fateci sapere..

Ingredienti per 4 persone:

• Qualche ciuffetto di spinaci freschi, o 2 cubetti di spinaci surgelati
• 70 gr gorgonzola o blue cheese
• 125 ml panna liquida
• 100 gr formaggio fresco cremoso
• parmigiano
• 35 gr burro 
• curry
• 700 gr. gnocchetti di patate
• 1 spicchio d’aglio

Bollite gli spinaci per alcuni minuti, scolateli bene ed insaporiteli in un padellino con un filo d’olio, sale , lo spicchio d’aglio ed una bella spolverata di curry.Metteteli quindi da parte.

In un tegame antiaderente ammorbidite il burro insieme al gorgonzola tagliato a cubetti molto piccoli

continuando a mescolare con un cucchiaio di legno aggiungete il formaggio fresco fino ad ottenere un crema densa

aggiungete quindi la panna, regolate di sale fino ad ottenere una salsa cremosa.aggiungete 1 cucchiaio di grana grattugiato, mescolate e togliete dal fuoco.

Riprendete quindi i vostri spinaci e frullateli. Incorporate la crema di spinaci alla crema di formaggi e mescolate a fiamma bassa per un paio di minuti

Nel frattempo portate ad ebollizione abbondante acqua salata e cuocete gli gnocchi fino a quando salgono in superficie. scolateli ed immergeteli nella salsa, amalgamando con un’ulteriore spolverata di parmigiano . Servite caldi immediatamente!

Yummy, easy and much better than shop bought! A perfect winter warmer dish which is also quite fun to make. The traditional Italian pasta, potato dumpling combination. This recipe makes around 50-70.

What you need:

600g Marie Piper Potatoes, 350g Spinach, 150g Plain flour (plus extra for dusting), 1 egg yolk, Black Pepper & Sea Salt

Simply peel and cut potatoes and simmer in a boiled pan of water for 20mins, when nice and soft drain and evaporate the moisture from the potatoes in the hot pan and mash to a nice smooth consistency, set aside to cool. Now wilt the spinach leaves in a pan on medium heat until soft. Scoop out the spinach onto muslin and squeeze the liquid from the spinach, as much as you possibly can. Now finely chop the spinach and add to a mixing bowl.

In the mixing bowl add to the spinach, the mashed potatoes, flour, egg yolk and seasoning. Mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined together. Now take  take a lined tray and dust with flour (also dust your hands). Simply take small amounts of the dough and roll into chocolate truffle sized balls, do this until all the mixture has been turned into little balls (^-^) Now take a folk and gently press the top of each ball. To cook, fill a pan of water and turn to simmer just before boiling point. Cook the gnocchi in tens, so there is enough room for them to move around. once the Gnocchi has floated to the top it has cooked.

Serve with olive oil and garlic, or grill with melted cheese.

Thank you all for your kind and honest words! It seems I’m not alone, but I didn’t think I was really. There’s a condition called “seasonal depression” – I think this feeling, however, is totally natural. All seasons have a purpose and I think our personalities go with the cycle. We rest, recuperate, and comfort our souls. Then when spring and summer come around we’re bursting at the seams with energy and vibrance!

Anyway, let’s eat, shall we?

I didn’t do much cooking for dinner, but it was so good nonetheless. I baked some kale chips and served them with Gardein “chicken” tenders, and Newman’s Own Organic pretzel sticks. To polish it off I had an Original Hermit topped with sunflower seed butter – yum! The Gardein “chicken” tenders were actually quite delicious and I do recommend them. They didn’t taste like those freaky mock meats that make me do a double take on the ingredient list. You can find them at Whole Foods, but I’d also check your local grocer as well just in case.

This is my sketchbook... or actually where I write down my ideas for projects.

I’m currently working on creating a peaceful environment for myself. Not necessarily something that’s sacred, but somewhere I just feel comfortable. I’ll be setting it up, documenting, and doing things with it in open fields around my area.

Up close and personal!

Crispy apples

For breakfast I prepared a bowl of Brown Rice Cream with raisins. After I was done cooking it, I topped it with a chopped apple, pumpkin pie spice, NuNaturals vanilla liquid, Artisana almond butter. It was missing something though. That’s when it hit me! Maple & Apple syrup! Personally, I wasn’t too keen on Artisana’s almond butter.

I decided to get a little fashionable for my Saturday morning class with a pair of cool tights!

My breakfasts never hold me over for the entire class which goes till 11:40. And I always forget to bring a snack! Today someone did a presentation on Japanese gore films, and I was still ravenous despite seeing all that gross stuff. Oh my gosh I can’t even explain how disgusting the clips the guy showed us were. I can usually handle things like that, but this was too much. Anyway! When I got home I knew just what I wanted to make. I put on a big band record on the turn table, and me and my roommate prepared our lunches side-by-side.

With all the bread I have now, I knew I'd be making a sandwich.

I cooked some portobello slices, red onion, garlic, and tomato in a balsamic vinegar reduction with black pepper. Then I spread on some goat cheese on one slice and toasted it all in the oven. I used two slices of French Meadow Bakery’s new Our Daily Bread – awesome sandwich bread! Once it was done toasting I snuck in some basil for the finish touch. For the kale I wanted to try something different. I sautéed it in olive oil with raisins, toasted pine nuts, sherry cooking wine, and seasoned it well. Afterwards I grated some parmesan on top. Delicious! Delicious! Yum yum yum.

So freaking good.

I was actually browsing for awesome sandwich ideas and I stumbled upon this little gem I thought I’d share with all of you: Vegetarian Sandwiches to Take to Work .

And to finish my meal I savored a piece of chocolate.

I decided to try the Orange Dark Chocolate sample the people at Newman’s Own Organics sent me. This was delightful! I usually have a hard time letting things just melt away in my mouth – like hard candy. But chocolate has never been a problem, especially if it’s a good one!

Today I ran a lot of errands and got some things to start my latest sculpture project. Dinner time rolled around and I whipped out The Accidental Vegetarian once again.

Gnocchi with wild mushroom and rosemary ragu

Simon Rimmer be my best friend, please?

This was, too put it lightly, absolutely delectable. I didn’t use regular red wine when making the ragu, since I only had sangria on hand. But it’s safe to say that the sangria did no harm. The hint of citrus might’ve amped the flavors a bit – but in a good way.

So this leads me to today’s truth…

I love food!

Me and this recipe go waaaay back.  I found it in Bon Appetit back in 2005 and have loved it ever since.  Prior to seeing this in Bon App I had never even thought about the idea of Sweet Potato Gnocchi but when I read the recipe it sounded oh so right.

Now you’re probably thinking that this a pretty intense project.  It’s not that crazy, trust me.  I even made this over the course of two weeknights.  If you divide the work over two days this is a fairly quick weeknight dinner.    The first night I made the dough and the second night I formed the individual gnocchi.  The gnocchi forming is the most tedious part but it’s really not that bad.  I think it took me about 45 minutes to an hour to get the job done.  Totally worth it.  PLUS I have a ton of gnocchi leftover which promptly got put into the freezer.

The gnocchi are served in a simple brown butter and sage sauce.  The sweetness of the gnocchi combines perfectly with spicy sage and toasted butter.  I’m thinking there might be an opportunity to do something with hazelnuts and bacon with this recipe.  I can kind of taste it already.

I served this with some steamed broccoli for a light dinner but in the past have served it alongside a protein.

Add this to your to-do list.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Ingredients

Perhaps my Italian great grandmother wouldn’t exactly call me a domestic diva.  Anyone who knows me or has been following my blog knows that I am not what one would call a “domestic neat freak.”  My broom is actually gathering dust.  My vacuum is five years old, but looks brand spanking new.  It’s not good.  But while I may not meet Martha standards with the clean house thing (although I am getting soooo much better, to my credit), if there’s one thing I can do, it’s cook.  

Cook up a storm I did on Weds. night.  I had it in my head that I just HAD to make gnocchi.  Not sure why.  It was like an ear worm on the same scale as that godawful “Who Let the Dogs Out” ditty.  And not just any gnocchi- sweet potato whole wheat gnocchi.  What did I want to pair this with, you ask?  Well, I keep hearing about brown butter going well with this type of thing, but butter just isn’t my style.  Besides, ever since the first frost hit us here in Boston (When was that, again? June?), I’ve had a hankering for my fuzziest socks and anything pumpkin. So, pumpkin sage sauce seemed like just the ticket.  I’ve made pasta before, but this? This was a whole ‘nother nut to crack.  And holy heck.  It.was.amazing. If I do say so myself.  

Here’s how it’s done:

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sage Sauce (This recipe can feed approx. 4)

2 Large Sweet Potatoes, baked(not boiled, not microwaved.  No shortcuts, people!  The potato needs to be a certain texture and consistency)

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (I used Bob’s red mill)

1 egg

1.  Bake the sweet potatoes with the skins still on.  I did mine for 45 minutes at 425, but they really needed to go for another 10 minutes or so- make sure they are cooked all the way through.  When finished, allow to cool slightly and remove skins.  They come off rather easily at this point.

2.  Using a potato ricer or mill, put your sweet potatoes through into a big mixing bowl. You will need a large bowl to hand knead the dough in. While you can hand mash, these are generally the best ways to do it.  It introduces the right amount of air into the mixture.  You want as much air as possible in there for fluffy gnocchi.  DO NOT put potatoes in a food processor.  You will end up with dense lumps.  

This is why you must make sure the potatoes are cooked all the way through- you could end up doing this to your potato ricer! Now, I did this on purpose just to show you what NOT to do, obviously...

3.  When potatoes have cooled off a bit more, add 1 cup of flour and the egg.  Begin to mix and knead the dough.  This is VERY VERY sticky dough and it helps to coat your hands with flour.  

4.  Mix and knead the dough until the flour and potato are completely mixed in.  At this point, you can go ahead and add the rest of the flour.  I’d do this a little bit at a time, depending on how sticky the dough is.  You’ll have to get a feel of it, but you want the dough to be at the point where it’s just past sticky.  You do not want it to be too dry or it will not stick and it will be too floury.  The taste will be compromised, as well as the texture.  So, proceed with the addition of flour very carefully.  It’s also important to note that depending on the size of your potato, you could need a little more.  just remain very aware of how the dough feels as you knead it.  Once you’ve finished kneading the dough, form a ball, wrap with sarah wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  This step is optional, but I found that it was really helpful in working with the dough.  

5.  When I did my research, recipes for gnocchi generally called for rolling the dough into a log and cutting from the log.  I disliked that method and went with the old standby- hand rolling each gnocchi and setting it out on a baking sheet.  whichever method you choose, be sure to keep your hands well floured and your baking sheet, as well.   You can also use the tines of a fork to get the ridges traditionally found on gnocchi, but at this point, we were starving and I didn’t bother!   Set a pot of water on the stove to boil while you roll the gnocchi, so you can drop them in when you are finished.  I made my gnocchi approximately 1 inch long and 1/2 an inch wide.  These WILL expand when cooked, so keep that in mind.  

6.  Drop gnocchi in boiling water.  When it floats to the top, allow it to boil for 1-2 more minutes and remove.  Serve with pumpkin sage sauce.  

Pumpkin Sage Sauce

4 large shallots, finely diced

1/4 cup Organic canned pumpkin

1/4 cup skim milk

1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt

1 1/2 tsp. dried ground sage

salt, pepper to taste

2 oz feta cheese (optional)

1.  Sautee shallots until soft and browned, add milk, sage, pumpkin, whisk, increase heat until mixture starts to bubble slightly, turn down heat.

2.  Add yogurt and whisk vigorously.  Add salt and pepper as desired.  Stir sauce over low heat for additional five minutes, pour over gnocchi, top with feta and enjoy!

Ok, there was really no way to make this look attractive, but honestly, it was completely delicious!!!!

I wish I had more pictures between the dough and the final product, but my hands were so messy from mixing that it was hard to even pick up the camera.  Hopefully, you get the idea!  I know my readers are an intelligent bunch. 

The best part was when I had leftovers for lunch.  Unfortunately there weren’t that many left, but I had a nice dollop of sauce, so I turned it into a salad with some lovely dried cranberries, avocado, olives, black beans, red peppers and carrot.  I mixed in a little olive oil to meld with the sauce and it coated the lettuce beautifully.  It was the perfect lunch!

Some days I just really feel like I know what i’m doing.  Feels good, doesn’t it?

I am determined that today will be a good day.  I plan to do one part of my weekly baby steps to body love challenge!  Happy Friday everyone!

Chestnut Pesto

150 gram chestnuts in peel

100 gram grated parmesan

Handful of toasted walnuts

2 handful of parsley

olive oil

Lemon juice

Pepper and salt

Making the pesto

Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C

Cut a cross in the flat side of the chestnut and put them in water for 20 minutes. Put the chestnuts cross side up on a baking tray and slide in the oven until the edges of the cross curl up.

Let them cool only slightly and peel them. If they are cold they are hard to peel so just warm them a bit up when they cooled down to make the work easier.

Put them in a kitchen machine with the parmesan, walnuts, parsley and olive oil. Grind into a coarse pesto, it should not be a smooth paste. Season with pepper, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Gnocchi

600 gram sweet potato

About 1 ½ -2 cups flour

Pinch of salt

1 egg

Teaspoon nutmeg

Cook the potatoes in their skin in boiling water until soft; peel of the skin and mash them slightly. Spread them out on a baking tray and put them in the oven for 5 minutes to dry them out a bit, make sure they don’t brown. You just want them to lose some water.

Prepare a clean worktop to knead on and baking paper to put the gnocchi on when formed. Press the potato through a sift and make a pile on your worktop. Make a well in the middle and incorporate the egg, nutmeg and salt. Now we have to work a bit fast; we don’t want to over knead the dough because then it becomes sticky again. Start adding flour in batches and knead until the mixture is not sticky anymore.  Divide it in three and roll them out into long snakes. Cut the snake into gnocchi the size you like and place them on the baking sheet. You can now form them into little egg shapes, make edges with a fork or twist them around their axe to make a nice curl if you like.

Boil water in a big pan and cook the gnocchi until they start floating on the surface.  Mix them with the pesto and serve with some grated parmesan on top.

Gnocchi and Mikes famous bolognaise with freshly grated Parmesan was served in large white bowls.

As we are spoiled to live near a city market we have learned to take advantage of how wonderful the specialty shops are. one being the Italian pasta shop.  We will in time get to make our own pasta from scratch, but until that day (with those extra few hours) comes along we are getting these here.

Mike bought the hand made spinach gnocchi (so good) and smothered them in his homemade bolognaise.  He starts with ground beef and browns this in a skillet adding the hopped red pepper minced garlic, tomato sauce and diced white mushrooms.  Paired with a Spanish 2007 Ergo Riojo.  Hearty and filling, this meal is always a joy on a cold night.  The gnocchi is a new favorite for this sauce.