Potato Gnocchi

Potato gnocchi is one of my favorite traditional Italian recipes that I grew up making.  I remember staying with my Nonna in Italy as a little girl and a vendor would drive around the streets selling potatoes and yelling "potate per gnocchi!"  I remember all the neighbors outside peeling and cutting potatoes and my friends and I pretending we were doing the same.  Although the potato gnocchi will never taste the same as they do in Italy due to their rich soil that the potatoes grow from, they still taste amazing! I found the closest potatoes to the ones you will use in Italy are Butter Potatoes.  From watching my family make potato gnocchi many many times in Italy as well as neighbors in the town, I discovered that some people put an egg in their gnocchi dough and some do not. I've learned it is almost impossible to write down exact measurements of ingredients.  Although Potato gnocchi have very very few simple ingredients, it is all about knowing what the dough should feel like.  Once you learn what the dough is suppose to feel like, then you know its perfect! So again I will write down below approximate measurements, but in the end you want a dough that is not too sticky and not too dry! Potato gnocchi taste delicious with tomato sauce, fresh basil pesto, or in soup! 
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Approximate Ingredients:

*5 lb bag of Yukon Gold Butter Potatoes
* 5 lb Bag of Good Quality Flour such as King Arthur unbleached all purpose Flour or 
Tipo 00 Flour (you may need more or less)
* 1 tsp of Salt
* 2 Whole Eggs (optional)

Tools you will need:

Potato Ricer (not a masher!!)
Wooden Board(everyone always asks me where I bought my large board, so click here and it will take you to the site I bought it on)
Large Steamer Pot
Gnocchi paddle or fork

Procedure:

* Peel Potatoes and steam until a fork can easily slide through (about 40 minutes)
~*~ It is very important to steam or bake your potatoes.  You do not want to boil them in water, because then the potatoes will have water in them causing you to need to add more flour in the dough.  This will make for a dense gnocchi instead of a lighter gnocchi~*~

* Let the potatoes cool to room temperature or until you can handle them without burning your fingers
*Grab a large bowl and put each potato through the ricer

* Add 2 Eggs (optional) and salt (Mix with you hands)
* Add Flour about a cup at a time and mix with your hands until it is the perfect consistency...Not too Sticky, yet not too dry!

* Flour your large wooden Board

* cut a small slice of dough and roll it into a long rope to desired size.  I like mine smaller, but I know many like theirs large. 

* Cut them into about 1/2 inch size pieces

* press and roll them with your thumb using a gnocchi paddle or a fork for the traditional gnocchi marks.  These marks help the gnocchi hold the sauce better!
* Place them onto a lightly floured tea towel

~*~TIP~*~ (if you are not planning on eating them right away, lay them flat onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or a floured tea town and freeze.   Once they are frozen you can put them in a freezer bag and tightly seal them up.  Freeze and use until you want to eat them!)

* When you are ready to eat them, Boil a large pot of salted water.  Then carefully throw the gnocchi in.  Once they float to the top, let them cook an extra minute or 2.  They cook quickly!
* Take out with a large Skimmer Strainer spoon. 
* Toss with your favorite sauce and top with some freshly grated cheese!

~*~Enjoy~*

Matteo at 2 month old watching Mommy make gnocchi for Christmas 

My cousin Mario making us gnocchi for lunch in Italy 2013

 

Tortellini with Butter, Olive Oil and Sage

Tortellini con Burro, Olio di Oliva e Salvia, as it is called in Italian.  The ingredients are so simple, yet this pasta dish is bursting with flavor.  I have spent a lot of time in Italy with my family and have come to learn that the Italians prefer making their pasta with very simple, good quality, fresh ingredients. Every day for lunch my aunt or cousin would make pasta, which is what almost every Italian eats mid day.  They use whatever fresh ingredients are in season or are in their gardens.  One day it would be Pasta with Zucchini, Pasta e Fagiole (beans), Gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce, Pastina in Broth, Spaghetti with Clams or Mussels, Pasta with Tuna, Tagliatelle with Mushrooms and fresh Sausage, and most often Ravioli or Tortellini with Butter, Olive Oil and Sage.  I think you get the idea!   By the time I leave Italy I have to admit, I can't even look at Pasta for a week! 

Please Click Here for Printable Version:

Ingredients for 5-6 People

• 1 lb of Fresh Cheese Tortellini (try your local Italian Market or Wegmans)
• 4 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
• 4 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 10 Leaves of Fresh Sage plus extra for Garnishing
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Procedure: *The photos are based on half the recipe for 3 People

• Boil Tortellini in lightly Salted Water according to package. 

• While the Tortellini are boiling, put Butter, Olive Oil, and Sage in a frying pan on Medium Heat.

• When the butter is melted, let cook about 1 more minute and take it off the heat. (you do not want the butter to brown!)

• Drain the Tortellini and carefully toss it is the sauce.

• Top with Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Sage.

~*~Enjoy~*~

Penne Alla Vodka

I love ordering Penne Alla Vodka Sauce when I go out to eat.  Penne Alla Vodka is a very heavy  meal, so it is definitely a treat to order or a good Sunday dinner food to make.  A few years ago I posted a recipe for Vodka Sauce and I haven't been completely satisfied with the taste.  It definitely wasn't a WOW recipe.  I have been reading many different versions of this recipe and playing around with ingredients in order to get that perfect "Restaurant Like" Vodka Sauce and am happy to finally say I think I have finally mastered the perfect Vodka Sauce to go over my Penne!  This sauce comes out creamy, rich and smooth due to the salty prosciutto and fresh quality ingredients all infused together.  Who needs to go out when you can just make this in the comfort of your own home!
Please Click Here for Printable Version:

Ingredients:

* 4 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

* 3 Cloves of Fresh Garlic,minced
* 1 Small Cooking Onion
* 1/4 Pound of San Danielle Brand Prosciutto (Ask your Store Deli to slice it for you)
* 3 Shots of Decent Quality Vodka
* 1 Can of D.O.P Certified San Marzano Plum Tomatoes (28 oz) (better quality and no acidic acid in the ingredients)
* 1 Small Can of Tomato Paste (6oz)
* 6 Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
* 1/2 Cup of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
* 6 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
* 2 Cups of Heavy Cream
* Salt and Pepper to Taste
* 1 lb of Good Quality Penne Pasta

Directions:

* Take out a Large Frying Pan or Pot.  
* Chop the Garlic and Onion and Saute in Olive Oil for about 2 minute on a Medium-Low Heat (Do not Burn the Garlic).

 

* Cut up the Prosciutto into about 1/4 inch thin slices and saute with the Onion and Garlic for about 3 minutes.

 

* Next, pour in the 3 shots of Vodka and let it cook for about 5-6 minutes in order to burn off the Alcohol.

* Meanwhile, Puree the Plum Tomatoes and Tomato Paste together.

* After the Vodka has been cooking for 5-6 minutes, add the pureed Tomatoes and Freshly chopped Basil.

* Then add the Butter and Grated Cheese.

 

 * Once the Butter is melted, add the Heavy Cream and stir well.

 

* Let simmer on Low Heat semi Covered for about 40 minutes.
* Boil Your Pasta and Drain.

* Toss the Pasta in the Vodka Sauce and Serve! I like mine with Crushed Red Pepper on top and Freshly Grated Cheese.

 ~*~Enjoy!~*~

Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I sure did. I had a house full of 18 people Christmas Eve to cook for and then on Christmas Day I went over my cousin's house.  My husband also surprised me with a Kitchen Aide! I can't wait to use it!

This past week I have has so many desserts that I can't even look at anymore! Maybe you feel the same way? Today I am going to share a recipe for Bolognese that I put over Parpadelle Pasta.  This is a very meaty pasta and has very little tomato sauce that goes into it.  When me and my husband were traveling around Italy this past summer, Jimmy pretty much ordered Pasta Alla Bolognese at every restaurant we went to.  This is a sauce that comes from Bolognia, Italy which is why it is called "alla Bolognese" "From Bolognia."  This sauce I made, I got from the Italian cooking show "Giallo Zafferano."  Although it didn't taste like the one we had in Italy, it was still absolutely Delicious!

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Ingredients:

*4 ounces of diced Pancetta (you can find this at Wegmans already diced or any Italian import store)

~*~Note~*~Do not use bacon!* 1/2 pound of ground beef
* 1/2 pound of ground pork
* 1 cooking Onion

* 1 stalk of celery and

*  1 stalk of Carrot
* 3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
* 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
* 3 1/2 Tablespoons of butter
* 1 cup of Whole Milk
* 1 cup of Dry Red Wine
* 1 cup of Beef Stock
* Pepper and salt to taste

* 3/4 LB of Pappardelle
Optional: 1 can of Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes (if you like it more moist with more tomato flavor)

Procedure:

~*~Note~*~ This sauce is easy to make, but takes about 3 hours to cook.  Be patient, because the longer it cooks, the more flavorful the sauce will be!)

* Mince the onion, carrot and celery (I do this in my mini food processor. It saves tons of time!)

* In a large pot, add the olive oil and the butter and to that add the vegetable mixture.

*  Sautee it on med-low heat for about 60 minutes until it is soft, just before it goes golden.

* When the vegetables are done, add the diced Pancetta anf cook until lightly golden

* Next, add the ground beef and pork and brown on Medium Low heat for another 30 minutes, until fully cooked.

* Once the meat is well cooked, add the glass of red wine and cook until the wine is completely absorbed.

* When the wine has cooked out and the meat is getting a bit dry, add the tomato paste which you can thin out with a bit of beef stock.

* Stir, salt, lower the heat, and now the ragu must simmer. Continue cooking it on a very low heat for about an hour and a half.

* Add broth little by little as you cook to keep the meat moist.
Note: at this point you can also add the crushed tomatoes if you like

* When the sauce is done simmering, boil the Pappardelle Pasta in lightly salted water.

~*~Note~*~The reason Pappardelle Pasta is used, is because the sauce is very meaty and the Pasta holds the sauce very well!)

* While the pasta is boiling, add the milk and leave it on low heat to absorb completely.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

* Drain the Pasta and toss it into your sauce.

* Serve with Grated cheese on top

Enjoy!