If you asked Dawnny what our kitchen looks like after I finish cooking or baking she will reply something like, 'It resembles the aftermath of a hurricane; only worse.' She knows fully well what a hurricane looks like, after surviving a few with two small children. The kitchen isn't destroyed, and I remind her of that every chance I get, 'its not that bad.'
I have been wanting to try Gnocchi for a while now, I just never have had the courage to go through with it. Now I know why.
Potato Gnocchi: Making Artisan Pasta by Aliza Green; Page 66
Boil 1 pound yellow potatoes in salt water for about 40 mins (skins on, tender, not mushy), done.
Put Through Ricer before they get too cool. Chill in refrigerator.
Then you want to mix all of your ingredients together. I usually make a volcano and work everything in to mix it, although you could use a mixer. First to start with the 1 pound of Potatoes, 1 Egg Yolk, 1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper. (its suppose to be ground white, but I didn't have any.)
Then you want to add your 1/4 pound flour.
Mix it all together only using your fingertips, combine as if you were making a pastry dough. There Is a chance I overworked my dough.
Next you want to roll out sections of your dough into a sausage shape, start from the middle and roll outwards.
Evenly cut your line of dough into squares.
Boil water and salt to a boil, use a wide shallow pot. Add the Gnocchi, lower heat, 2-3 minutes. Make sure Gnocchi is firm and cooked.
Scoop out the gnocchi with a wire skimmer.
In Julie and Julia you might look at the screen a little funny when she throws her adult tantrums and meltdowns when a dish doesn't good so well. The sad truth is sometimes the food doesn't go your way. Maybe you refused to buy a scale and in that mistake you used a pound and a half of potatoes instead of a pound. It could be that you didn't use enough flour or maybe the egg was too small and you needed two. Maybe your worked your dough too much.
There are so many reasons why my gnocchi tasted more like mashed tatter tots rather than the amazing potato pasta its suppose to resemble. But when this happens maybe you just need to sprinkle on some olive oil to your mushy mess, add a little more flour and throw it in the oven for a while to crisp up. Maybe, just maybe, your meal will be better than you expected it to. Sometimes it just needs a little extra imagination.
I'll succeed on my next gnocchi mission, I might just try it again in a few days, or maybe I will wait a week. But I will soon or a later succeed. For now I am calling this Baked Gnocchi. A little different. Pretty alright.
Gorgonzola Cream Sauce: The Italian Vegetable Cookbook by Michele Scicolone; Page 163
Now time for the sauce. The sauce makes everything better right? It has to.
1 cup of Heavy Cream, 1/2 cup of milk. Simmer.
Add in the 8 ounces of Gorgonzola Cheese. Let it melt.
Sprinkle in some nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
OH BOY, if you don't like blue cheese then run away. Run far, far, away. But if you happen to be anything like me and live for all cheeses, then try it. Just give it a taste and your mouth will be the happiest it has ever been. I now live for this sauce. I want to bath in this sauce.
This sauce made up for every mistake I made with my gnocchi. This sauce made my night.
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