Friday, June 18, 2010

Gnocchi

Quick Ricotta gnocchi

Recipe source: own creation, inspired by many others

Prep time: ~15 minutes

Ingredients (for 2):

→        250 g (1 cup)  Ricotta

→        1 egg yolk (M-L)

→        1/4-1/2 tsp fine sea salt

→        30 g  (1 oz) Parmigiano (or Pecorino), freshly grated

→        50-75 g (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour, extra for dusting the dough/board

→        serve with tomato sauce or any kind of pesto


Discard any excess liquid that the Ricotta’s packaging may contain, then add Ricotta cheese, egg yolk, salt and freshly grated Parmigiano into a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden or regular spoon. Now add the flour and stir in briefly, just until combined – the dough will still be quite sticky. (Of course you can add more flour at this point, but keep in mind, that the more flour you use, the denser the gnocchi become in the end. And you want them to be as light & fluffy as possible, with a velvet-like texture.)

Forming these gnocchi is the slightly tricky step, this is the technique that works best for me: Generously flour a board, take a big tablespoon of the dough and scoop it onto the board. It gets dusted with flour (dust your hands generously, too!), before rolling it into a finger-thick roll. Cut it into little pillows (stick the knife’s blade into the flour to prevent it from sticking to the dough). Then place each gnoccho on a floured board or parchment paper lined baking tray. Continue quickly with the next step, otherwise they will get soggy and stick to the paper/board anyway.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and reduce heat until the water bubbles lightly. Add the gnocchi and stir once, so they don’t stick to the bottom – then let cook until they start floating on top. Depending on their size this may take 2 to 4 minutes. Take out with a skimmer and serve immediately. I like to serve them either with a simple tomato sauce or pesto



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miso dressing recipe & related ideas

This is a bit late from when you asked for it, but here is an approximation of a recipe that I modify in all kinds of ways based on what I have or feel into that day:

  • 2 TBL raw apple cider vingegar
  • 1/4 cup apple juice or 2 TBL mirin (or I will sometimes use Rice wine vinegar, though it is less tangy/sweet)
  • 2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 TBL sesame seed oil
  • 2 TBL raw (unpasteurized) brown rice miso (I use other kinds, too but this has a nice kind of nuttier flavor - or I use a mix
Whisk miso and apple cider then add oils to emulsify.

The sample on your desk uses mirin and an extra 2 TBL or rice vinegar and an extra 2 TBL of oil (not virgin, so a little harsher flavor) and an extra TBL of miso (only brown in this version).

It makes quite a thick soupy dressing, which you can thin out for something lighter or you can also use it for meatier snack like a crudite dip.

Ideas to use this on -   a great slaw topping!

-4 cups shredded napa or green cabbage
-2 cups shredded raw red beets
-2 cups shredded carrots
-half cup of scallions (or onions of your choice)
-make it more of a meal by adding a protein topping like shredded chicken, roasted chopped nuts (almonds or cashews taste great), or seared tofu

FYI - The apple cider vinegar is supposed to enhance digestion and allow better absorption of minerals/vitamins in your food, and the raw/living organisms are supposed to be good for your digestion and microflora. and good chi!


Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Splendid Table Popsicle Ideas

Episode Summary here
Listen to the Popsicle section here