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.

Shrimp and Smokies

Each spring, I have to remember all of our favorite grill recipes. We grill throughout the year - steaks, chicken, etc. - but during the warmer months I make more elaborate recipes for the barbecue. Of course, I picked a cold rainy day for this one, but it still tastes good! This has been a favorite for a few years now. I'm always looking for new ways to cook shrimp and I've found a few good ones in BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen.(Green Lightning Shrimp is another).

Shrimp and Smokies, according to this recipe, are skewers of shrimp and chunks of andouille sausage with red pepper. They're basted with a beer based sauce that has lemon, garlic and a few other surprises. It's easy to make (they taste good without the sauce too). I use D'Artagnan Andouille - It's super smoky and spicy and it's cooked. Uncooked andouille wouldn't work here because the shrimp cook so fast. If all you can find is uncooked, precook the sausage or cook them on separate skewers.

This also makes a great appetizer - cook them the same way, but use smaller shrimp and cut the andouille into smaller pieces.

Give this recipe a try - and let me know you're favorite summertime BBQ recipes. I'm always looking for new ones!



Shrimp and Smokies
adapted from BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen

16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 ounces andouille sausage, cut into about 16 chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch squares

For the sauce:
1 cup beer
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
1 2-inch strip of lemon zest
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup
1 Tbsp. liquid or dry crab or shrimp boil
4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter cut into 1 inch chunks
Salt and pepper





Prepare the skewers: Alternate pieces of sausage, shrimp, and pieces of pepper onto skewers until all of the food has been used. Set aside.



Make the sauce: combien the beer, zest and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the crab boil, Worcestershire, lemon juice and corn syrup. Boil until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat, discard the garlic and zest. Whisk in the butter one piece at a time then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare the grill for direct grilling on high heat. When ready to grill, baste each skewer with some of the sauce and grill for about 3 minutes per side, basting occasionally, until shrimp are cooked to desired doneness.

Serve with the remaining sauce if desired.

Serves 4.

The Ultimate Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce

There seem to be as many variations of vodka sauce as there are Italian restaurants. Some are smooth; others have chunks of tomatoes. Some add peas and prociutto; others add sausage; still others add chicken or shrimp. The same goes for vodka sauce recipes, making it hard to choose one.



Find an updated version of my favorite vodka sauce on my new blog, white plate blank slate.

With more than 100 cookbooks in my collection, I like to "consult my friends" when choosing a recipe for something with a lot of variations. By "consult my friends", I mean that I check with Mario, Giada, Jamie, Ina, etc. I pull out a pile of cookbooks and compare the recipes. The result is inevitably something of my own making, combining the elements of each that I like. Thus the approach that led me to the ultimate vodka sauce...

This one has everything my husband and I love. It's rich and creamy, but has a definite tomato taste, with little bits of tomato throughout. Jeff likes meat, so it has sausage AND prosciutto. I like the color and texture peas add, so you'll find those in there, too. Try this sauce, but make it your own. Prefer chicken? Brown some chunks of chicken instead of the sausage. Like it smooth, use crushed or pureed tomatoes. Just don't forget the cheese...



Another thing that makes this the ultimate rigatoni with vodka sauce is homemade rigatoni. Flour, eggs, semolina and a little water turn into delicious fresh pasta using my new toy: the Kitchenaid Pasta attachment for my stand mixer. It takes 30 minutes start to finish and it's worth every second - but purely optionsal. The sauce rocks even without homemade pasta.

Now, onto the recipe for my ultimate rigatoni with vodka sauce... buon appetito (from this Irish girl!)

Vodka Sauce

serves 4
4 thin slices prosciutto, chopped
4 Sweet Italian sausages
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of Italian seasoning (or oregano if you don't have Italian seasoning)
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup vodka (cheap stuff is fine here, save the Grey Goose for martinis!)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup lowfat milk
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (or more to taste)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top
1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed




Heat a medium nonstick frying pan over medium high heat. Cook the prosciutto until just starting to brown around the edges. Transfer to a plate. In the same pan, squeeze the sausage out of the casing into the pan in bite-sized chunks. Discard the casings. Cook the sausage until browned on all sides and cooked through. Drain on a paper towel.

In a large skillet over meidum-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Do not brown. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and continue cooking for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes with their juice and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vodka and simmer 5 minutes. Add the cream, milk, Paremsan cheese, and tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste is absorbed into the sauce. If the sauce is too light, add more tomato paste. Stir in the prosciutto and cook until the sauce thickens slightly.



Stir in the sausage and peas and cook until heated through. Note: As this cooks, it gets thicker. If it gets too thick, stir in a tablespoon or two of the pasta water to get the desired consistency. Season to taste - with the cheese, prosciutto and sausage you likely won't need salt. But I like to add some fresh black pepper.

Serve tossed with homemade rigatoni (below) or your favorite pasta. Top with extra grated Parmesan cheese.



Homemade rigatoni (optional, of course, but yummy!)
Recipe based on the one from the Kitchenaid pasta press instruction book

3 large eggs
2 Tbsp. water
2 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour OR 2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour PLUS 1/2 cup semolina
pinch of salt

Break the eggs into a glass measuring cup. If the total amount is less than 3/4 cup, add a little water to get to that amount.

To measure the flour, sift the flour first, then measure 2 3/4 cups - this is to ensure the right consistency.

Put the flour, salt and semolina (if using) in the bowl of the stand mixer. Attach the flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and gradually add the eggs and 2 Tbsp. water. Mix 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and exchange the beater with the dough hook. Knead on speed 2 for 2 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand for 1 minute.

Pass walnut sized pieces of dought though the pasta press using the rigatoni attachment.

Cook in boiling water 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.