Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

I'm pretty good at storing food in the freezer.  In fact, just last night, I pureed a bag of persimmons and put 1-cup portions into freezer bags.  Where I go awry is using said frozen food before it's too late. It's almost as if the freezer has a magic hole that stuff disappears to, only to return when freezer burn has taken over!  I try to keep an inventory but, along the way, it all falls apart. It seems I'm always disposing of something I froze. So it probably should not have surprised me that I found some homemade gnocchi, that I had made in October, in the freezer while looking for the walnuts.  I worked hard to make those gnocchi, I'm amazed I forgot I froze some! Old age taking over? Anyway, I grabbed the bag of gnocchi and rearranged my dinner menu to include them.

 This is just a simple tomato sauce, simmered a while for the sauce to reduce and thicken and the herbs to add some subtle flavor. In fact, Pomodoro sauce basically means tomato sauce, it just sounds fancier!  I always have San Marzano tomatoes in my pantry, a can is the foundation of many a quick meal around here. Other brands can be used,  I think San Marzano tomatoes make superior tomato sauces.

Of course, homemade gnocchi is not required here.  There are wonderful packages of gnocchi in most grocery stores these days.  A package of gnocchi works well with hectic weeknight dinner schedules.

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup heavy cream
16 ounces potato gnocchi
8 ounces mozzarella
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in 10-inch ovenproof pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, lowering the heat if needed so the onions don't brown.  Cook until the onions are transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

Crush the tomatoes with your hand (or blender) and add to the pan, along with the juice.  Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens.  It should be thick enough to coat the gnocchi.  Stir in the heavy cream and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted boiling water. The gnocchi are done when they rise to the top.  Drain and place the gnocchi into the cooked sauce. Top with mozzarella (shredded or halved mozzarella balls) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese melts and the tops become crispy. 

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi

After attending a gnocchi-making class it was time to take what I had learned and do it in my own kitchen.  Without a teacher to guide me, I was a little insecure but I had to try sometime! It was easy, I had no problems. The little tips our chef had given us helped me along. My Hubbers was so impressed, which is always a good thing!

Making gnocchi is very similar to making pasta, the only difference being gnocchi is made with potatoes.  It's a matter of lightly mixing and kneading the potatoes, flour and eggs until a smooth dough is formed.  Lightly is the key word, working the dough too much makes for a tough gnocchi dough. No mixing bowls or spoons, just the oldest cooking tool of all, our hands!

Some gnocchi recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled, some are baked.  After reading many gnocchi recipes and articles, I decided to stick with baking the potatoes, same as we did in class.  They have less moisture this way, so you don't need as much flour. A potato ricer is a must.  It's like a large garlic press; the potatoes are pressed through it resulting in rice-size pieces of potato.  Again, this makes for a lighter gnocchi.

After being put through the potato ricer, the rice-sized pieces of cooked potato are ready for the eggs and flour.

 

I used a gnocchi board to make ridges on the gnocchi.

I've had gnocchi many times but always with a traditional marinara-type sauce.  During our class we made two very untraditional sauces so I was determined to do the same with my first batch of gnocchi.  I found a mixture with Italian sausage, mushrooms & spinach. I knew my Hubbers would love that. It was a filling dinner and one I will make again. 

As it was just the two of us for dinner, I had extra uncooked gnocchi that I froze for another day. I'm looking forward to trying other sauces and types of gnocchi. Our 2-hour class was full of great instruction and built up my confidence to make gnocchi at home!

Homemade Gnocchi (adapted from recipe by Lidia Bastianich)

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, scrambled
1 1/4 cup flour, plus more if necessary

Bake or boil potatoes until potatoes are soft and can be pierced with a fork.  Cool until able to touch.

Peel potatoes and cut in half.  Put each half in a potato ricer and push potato through.  Repeat with the rest of the potatoes.

Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet (I used my countertop), sprinkle with salt and let cool.

Once the potatoes are cool, pile in a rectangular mound.  Pour eggs** over the potatoes and sprinkle with the flour.  Using your hands, slowly incorporate all the ingredients.

Once all the ingredients are incorporated, gently knead dough until smooth.  DO NOT OVERKNEAD.

Divide the dough into four quarters.  Using your hands, roll each quarter into a rope, about 1/2 inch thick.  Use flour as needed.

Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut gnocchi rope into 1/2-inch pieces. 

If desired, make ridges on the gnocchi using a gnocchi board or the tines of a fork.  Doing so helps the sauce adhere to the gnocchi.

**  My eggs were large so I didn't use all of them.

To cook the gnocchi:  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Season liberally with salt.  Add gnocchi and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until gnocchi rise to the top. Don't overcrowd the pan, work in batches if necessary.

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Sauce

3/4 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
1 small diced onion
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
10 ounces of chopped fresh spinach
Salt & pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat and break it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.  Add the onion and mushrooms to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooked gnocchi to the skillet and gently toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.

Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

Girlfriends and Gnocchi

Every year or so three of my home town girlfriends and I get together for a girls weekend. The last time we were able to meet was in January 2014 (recap here). During that getaway we made homemade ravioli.  We had so much fun that I thought it would be equally fun to take a cooking class together.  So we booked a gnocchi cooking class at Sur la Table in San Francisco and made all the necessary arrangements to spend the weekend together. What fun we had!

I had previously attempted making gnocchi for dinner one time while my children still lived at home.  They weren't impressed with the dense, hockey-puck consistency, Italian potato dumplings that I presented them. I've since been intimidated to try again.  No one else in our group had made gnocchi before and Jody had never even tasted gnocchi.  So we all entered this class pretty much as newbies. The Chef and her staff had things very organized.  We had work stations fully equipped with the necessary tools as well as the food necessities. We made two types of gnocchi, the traditional potato gnocchi as well as a beet version. They weren't difficult to make at all.  

Using a potato ricer to make small, almost rice-like, pieces of cooked potato.

 

Rolling out the gnocchi.

We made two sauces for the gnocchi.  The plain gnocchi was

mixed with a corn, pancetta and sage sauce.  We all loved this, it was so fresh and earthy.  We added beet puree to the next batch of gnocchi which was topped with a cream sauce made with gorgonzola and wilted greens (we used spinach, chard and kale).  We were all in agreement that this dish was too rich for us, it would maybe be better as an appetizer.  I know I'll never make the sauce as my husband hates anything with blue cheese! I will make the beet gnocchi again, using a much simpler sauce.

We loved this gnocchi version the best!

The beet gnocchi simmering in the gorgonzola sauce.

We had a blast at the class, taking turns chopping, mixing the gnocchi dough, rolling them out, and cooking the sauces, laughing throughout the two hour session. We were definitely the most lively group in the class and we aren't ashamed of that! Probably the only thing that would've made the class better was some wine to drink, not just to cook with!

We're tossing around plans for our next gathering.  No matter where we go, what we do, I know we will have a good time. We often go awhile with no contact but when we meet up again it's as if we were never apart. We all realize how fortunate we are to maintain friendships started many years ago.