From the Harvest Table.

From Store Bought to Homemade

Well I have found a little more free time on my hands this last week and not leaving the house has left me going stir crazy like everyone else. I am spending time trying to learn new things and try food that I have never made before. Sharon brought home some Gnocchi(pronounced NO Key) which is a variety of pasta consisting of various thick, small, and soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, or similar ingredients, and possibly including flavorings of herbs, vegetables, or cocoa.

The dough for gnocchi is most often rolled out before it is cut into small pieces about the size of a wine cork. The little dumplings are then pressed with a fork or a cheese grater to make ridges that can hold sauce. The word gnocchi may be derived from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood, or from nocca, meaning knuckle. It has been a traditional type of Italian pasta of since the time of Rome.

Because of their shape, small squat shells with ripples, gnocchi are especially good for thick sauces but they're also delicious just drizzled generously with brown butter and a little sage, or with a creamy gorgonzola sauce. I kept it simple this week with just a little garlic, butter, and parsley. If you cook it freshly made you don’t need to boil it and can just sauté it in a pan. The secret is in the dough. Adding enough riced potato to the dough gives it that light and airy texture in the end like a baked potato. Don’t over work the dough as this will make it tough and chewy in the end product. I was able to make most of it in a food processer with the plastic blades.

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 potatoes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.

Combine 1 cup mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.

Use a fork to roll pieces of dough to make ridges. I made my own board after Sharon went on Amazon and found one for 5 dollars.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.