In an attempt to use up some leftover boiled potatoes, I decided to make gnocchi. I was expecting it to be really difficult, but it actually turned out to be really easy!
There are a lot of steps involved but as you can freeze the gnocchi before the blanching stage, it's worth making more than one meal's worth.
I used Maris Piper potatoes for this, you can use whatever kind of potato you have to hand but it's advisable to avoid the waxy varieties.
Ingredients
600g potatoes, unpeeled
200g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
Place the uncut, unpeeled potatoes in a pan of cold water with a little salt and bring to the boil. The reason for not peeling or cutting the potatoes is that you want the cooked potato to be as dry and starchy as possible. Boil until tender, about 20 mins depending on the size of your potatoes.
Drain the potatoes and peel while still hot. The best way to do this is to cut each cooked potato in half, placing the cut side down on a chopping board and peel the skin off with a knife.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the potatoes until are no lumps left but avoid over-mashing. Stir in the flour and salt and mix to combine.
Add in the egg and beat until you have a dough-like consistency. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead until smooth. If your dough is too dry, you can add some water at this point, or if it is very sticky then you can add additional flour.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and refrigerate the other 3 while you work on the first piece.
Roll the dough into a long log, about 2 cm in diameter and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into individual pillows about 2 cm wide.
With well-floured hands, shape each section into an oval pillow shape and indent with a fork. Place each pillow of dough onto a floured board and repeat the process with the other 3 pieces of dough.
I found it easier for the next stage to place all the gnocchi into the fridge for an hour so they cooled down before cooking. You can also freeze them at this point, place in the freezer in a single layer until frozen, then you can transfer them to whatever container you wish to store them in.
Cooking the gnocchi is easy, just drop them in a pan of simmering salted water, working in batches so they're not too crowded. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 3 minutes when fresh, 6 when frozen, they're cooked. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve in a colander while you poach the remaining batches.
Reheat and sauté the gnocchi in a frying pan in a little olive oil before serving with the sauce of your choice.
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Risotto
This is my go-to comfort food. If I could eat nothing else for the rest of my life I would be very happy. I even enjoy the hands-on cooking process that is necessary with this, as the constant stirring can be very theraputic after a long day at work staring at a computer screen.
I like the simplicity of having very little by way of other flavours in this, but you can add mushrooms and so on if you desire.
The recipe is adapted from Nigel Slater's Appetite which I credit for getting me interested in cooking and serves two.
Ingredients
200g arborio rice
75g butter
2 garlic cloves
1 white onion, finely chopped
100ml white wine
700-850ml chicken stock
75g grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Start by melting 50g of the butter in a large pan. When melted, add the chopped onion and the crushed garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the arborio rice to the pan and stir at a medium heat for about a minute or so.
Add in the white wine and allow to bubble, stiring constantly, for two minutes.
Now you need to add in the stock a little at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the stock in between each addition. You need to stir constantly as you don't want the rice to burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. The whole process will take about 45 minutes. The grains of rice will plump up and will be tender when you taste them. You don't want the mixture to be too soupy or too dry, it should be just verging on being spoon-food when it's done so be careful for the last couple of additions.
When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 25g butter and the parmesan.
Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and serve (ideally with Pesto Chicken)
I like the simplicity of having very little by way of other flavours in this, but you can add mushrooms and so on if you desire.
The recipe is adapted from Nigel Slater's Appetite which I credit for getting me interested in cooking and serves two.
Ingredients
200g arborio rice
75g butter
2 garlic cloves
1 white onion, finely chopped
100ml white wine
700-850ml chicken stock
75g grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Start by melting 50g of the butter in a large pan. When melted, add the chopped onion and the crushed garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the arborio rice to the pan and stir at a medium heat for about a minute or so.
Add in the white wine and allow to bubble, stiring constantly, for two minutes.
Now you need to add in the stock a little at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the stock in between each addition. You need to stir constantly as you don't want the rice to burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. The whole process will take about 45 minutes. The grains of rice will plump up and will be tender when you taste them. You don't want the mixture to be too soupy or too dry, it should be just verging on being spoon-food when it's done so be careful for the last couple of additions.
When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 25g butter and the parmesan.
Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and serve (ideally with Pesto Chicken)
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