Potato GnocchiThis Wall Street Journal (New World Gnocchi Jan 2011) article inspires you to get out the potatoes: Here’s how important gnocchi, aka ñoquis, is in Argentina and Uruguay: The food has its own day of each month, the 29th, when there is no question of what’s for dinner. On the 29th, you put a few bills under your plate of ñoquis and the cash is said to eventually multiply. In the WSJ version, they cook the potatoes til soft in the microwave, and then they pass potatoes through a ricer.
3 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
all-purpose flour
boiling salted water
sauce
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
Measure the potatoes into a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, oil and blend with a fork. Add eggs and blend thoroughly into potato mixture. Turn dough onto floured board and knead gently, about 15 times. Shape into a fat loaf and set on floured area to prevent sticking. Cut off a piece of dough at a time about (about 1 1/2 cups) and roll on lightly floured board into a cord 3/8 inch thick. Cut cord into 1 1/ inch lengths. Roll each segment in th center lightly under forefinger to give the piece a bow shape / sea shells.
Set the shaped gnocchi aside on a lightly floured pan such as a baking sheet; the pieces should not touch.
Set them a few at a time (enough to cover the bottom, but not stack) into boiling, salted water. Cook five minutes after they return to the surface of the water (stir gently if they haven’t popped up in about a minute). Keep water at a slow boil. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon. Place in a shallow pan and use melted butter / olive oil to get them from sticking together. Cover and keep warm. Can keep in a 150 degree oven for as long as three hours. To serve, layers with sauce and cheese in a baking dish; heat at 375 for 10 minutes.
Mashed potatoes: to prepare instant mashed potatoes, hit the amount of water called for on the package to 6-8 servings; stie in potatoes as directed. Add no seasonings or other ingredients. Measure 3 cups; use at once. CAn also use pesto or marinara sauce.
The Sauce: BROWN BUTTER AND SAGE
1. Add a knob of unsalted butter to a large sauté pan (not non-stick) and set over high heat.
2.Once the butter browns, add several leaves of chopped sage and then immediately add well-drained gnocchi.
3. Do not touch the pan for a minute or two, until one side of the gnocchi is well browned.
4. Jerk the pan forward to toss the gnocchi, and allow them to brown on another side. Slide onto a plate and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.