Gnocchi with sausage and leeks

My kitchen broke. The dog ate my cookbooks... Those are about the best excuses I can come up with for my lengthy absence from this blog that was once such a big part of my life. They're not even good excuses. Heck, I don't even have a dog (if I did, my husband would probably be pretty happy if he ate a few of my cookbooks). But a lot has happened since my last post in April. My tiny one turned one... and started sleeping through the night (most of the time). My job changed. Then changed again. My manager changed. My husband's job changed.

Through it all, I have been cooking - a lot. Fortunately we are moving past the phase of baby food and I can serve one meal to my whole family at least a few times a week. This may sound ridiculous to the childless, but all you moms know exactly how monumental this is. Last night's dinner was Polish: kielbasa, pierogies and sauerkraut. And you know what?? Both kids ate kielbasa and pierogies. It made my day. These are the small victories that mean so much to working moms...

I have a stockpile of photos and recipes from the last few months, so it's time to get back to blogging. This one is a highlight - from a cookbook Mom gave me a few months back...

Note well: the gnocchi need to be started a day ahead so plan accordingly!



Gnocchi with sausage and leeks
Adapted from Fabio's Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani

2 leeks
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
6-8 Sweet Italian sausages
1 c. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 recipe potato-ricotta gnocchi (follows)
Good quality EVOO for drizzling
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat oven to 375F.

Clean the leeks well and slice pale green and white parts into thin rounds.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and brown the sausages on all sides. Add the wine and reduce. While the wine is reducing, toss the leeks with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.

Once the wine has reduced and leeks are roasted, drop gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water. Remove gnocchi as soon as the first ones rise to the top. Add to the pan with the sausage mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the leeks, a drizzle of good Extra-virgin olive oil and some shaved Parmesan.

Potato-ricotta gnocchi

6 medium baking potatoes
1/2 a whole nutmeg, grated (I used less!)
1 Tbsp. salt, plus pepper to taste
1 egg yolk
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup semolina flour
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 425F.

Bake the potatoes for an hour until they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Cool for a couple hours then scoop out the insides. Mash until very smooth using a fork or potato ricer.

Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste, egg yolk and ricotta. Mix to combin and refrigerate overnight, covered.

The next day, spread the semolina in an even layer on a baking tray.

Place potato mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the flour on low-medium speed. Once the mixture has come together, remove it from the bowl and cut into fist-sized pieces.

Roll each ball into a cigar shape and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place on the baking tray and then refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to set. Cook as noted in recipe above.

Easiest cream sauce - ever!

It's no surprise that I've once again turned to the BLT cookbook. It's even less of a surprise that I loved this recipe. Cream sauces don't make many appearances in my house. It's partially because they're always high in fat and partially because they can be tricky. Not this one. Imagine a cream sauce where you dump everything in a pan and walk away. Crazy, right? I promise you, it works.

Here's how, complete with my modifications.

Creamy Rosemary-Parmesan Gnocchi

• 1 lb gnocchi
• 2 cups heavy cream (or 1 cup cream, 1 cup half and half)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Rind from one Parmesan cheese (optional)*
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• White truffle oil (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the cream, rosemary, garlic, nutmeg and cheese rind in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer about 15 minutes until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

While sauce is cooking, cook gnocchi according to package directions (I made homemade which work great too!) Drain them well.

When sauce is thickened, remove the rosemary and cheese rind. stir in the grated parmesan.

Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to coat evenly.

Serve drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

*Note - The rinds of parmigiano-reggiano need not end up in the trash. wrap them in plastic and store them in the fridge or freezer. Toss them into soups and sauces to add extra flavor. Yummy!

Last supper #16: Jonathan Waxman

I know, I know. I've been really bad about my Last Supper posts. But this is a good one. For his last supper, Chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in New York City, listed a number of our favorites: Grilled spring lamb, gnocchi with truffles, and grilled porcini salad, among other things.

I prepared the lamb our favorite way. I marinate the rack for several hours in a mixture of salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, more garlic and lots of fresh rosemary. Then my grill-master husband takes over and grills it until it's charred but still pink and juicy! delish!

I also made the gnocchi from scratch. This was my second attempt at homemade gnocchi and these turned out better than the first. It does help when the potatoes are sufficiently cooked :)

I boiled them and then tossed them into a saute pan with a little butter, olive oil and garlic. (I always cut butter with olive oil to reduce the fat. You still get the nice buttery flavor, but less saturated fat). I added some sea salt and just before serving I sprinkeld with chopped truffled and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. I finished it with a touch of white truffle oil.

The Porcini salad was really a portabello salad. Try though I might I couldn't find porcinis. So I drizzled a little olive oil, salt and pepper on a few portabello caps and then we grilled them. Here's my recipe:

Grilled Portabello Salad with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

• 2 Portabello mushroom caps
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Small bunch of fresh baby arugula
• 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
  

Gently clean the mushroom caps then rub each with a little Extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until just cooked thru, a couple minutes a side. Remove from grill.

Prepare the dressing. Whisk together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, pour just enough dressing on the arugula to gently coat it. Pile the arugula on two plates. Slice the mushrooms and arrange over the arugula. Top each with a good amount of fresh shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.