I have had one life changing gnocchi experience, one really good gnocchi experience, and many terrible gnocchi experiences. The life changing one occurred at a completely legit Italian restaurant in San Francisco where their Italian accents were still so pronounced that I could barely understand their English when they spoke to us. The really good gnocchi was at Pizzeria 712 in Orem, UT and it was a ricotta gnocchi with a creamy goat cheese sauce.
Tonight I made this gnocchi. Here are my tips:
*It says it serves 4 but I doubled the recipe and it just fed the three in our household who have advanced past baby food.
*I didn't have any Parmesan cheese so I didn't use it. I also didn't have fresh sage.
*WHEN I make this again I will make the dough in the morning instead of doing it all at once.
*I don't know why it says to boil them for 6 to 7 seconds, mine took much longer.
I made a coconut sauce to accompany them and I just made a roux with some butter, flour and Better than Bullion chicken stock mix (about 1 tsp) and once that was combined and cooked I added about 1/2 a can of light coconut milk. Once it had thickened I added just a bit of cinnamon and ginger.
I also made this bread which can be made in less than 2 hours. I made one loaf instead of three.
We rounded out our meal with some of the wilted maple spinach. Great dinner. My kitchen is now a mess.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Pinto Bean Soup
This soup doesn't sound like much, but it is very good. You just need to remember to soak your beans.
1 1/2 c dried pinto beans, soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight
Drain beans and put in a pot with 2 quarts (I never measure this) of water and slowly bring to a boil. Skim the scum off the surface and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 1/4 c chopped onion and some salt and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until tender. Using an immersion blender if you are fancy like that or just a plain old blender if you haven't gotten around to purchasing an immersion blender yet (someday, someday) blend this mixture to your desired consistency. We like ours with some puree and some roughly chopped beans. Sidenote - I never use all of the liquid when I blend the soup because I think it makes it too runny. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with:
A good dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream in each bowl
Chopped green onions
Pine Nuts (don't forget these)
Candied Bacon
Candied Bacon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool and then crumble. You will never make bacon again without brown sugar.
1 1/2 c dried pinto beans, soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight
Drain beans and put in a pot with 2 quarts (I never measure this) of water and slowly bring to a boil. Skim the scum off the surface and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 1/4 c chopped onion and some salt and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until tender. Using an immersion blender if you are fancy like that or just a plain old blender if you haven't gotten around to purchasing an immersion blender yet (someday, someday) blend this mixture to your desired consistency. We like ours with some puree and some roughly chopped beans. Sidenote - I never use all of the liquid when I blend the soup because I think it makes it too runny. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with:
A good dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream in each bowl
Chopped green onions
Pine Nuts (don't forget these)
Candied Bacon
Candied Bacon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool and then crumble. You will never make bacon again without brown sugar.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Prepare:
3/4 lb sweet potato - peeled, chopped, and cooked until tender in boiling water for about 15 min
Combine in a medium bowl:
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
3 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
Combine in another bowl or large measuring cup:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 c milk
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
Mashed/cooked sweet potato
Blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Make pancakes. Serve with coconut caramel sauce or maple syrup.
3/4 lb sweet potato - peeled, chopped, and cooked until tender in boiling water for about 15 min
Combine in a medium bowl:
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
3 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
Combine in another bowl or large measuring cup:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 c milk
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
Mashed/cooked sweet potato
Blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Make pancakes. Serve with coconut caramel sauce or maple syrup.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A few good links.
Best pie crust. Ever.
You can make caramel sauce with coconut milk. It is amazing with sweet potato pancakes. Or on a spoon.
Our version of Easter eggs.
Anyone interested in a recipe for sweet potato pancakes? Pinto bean soup with bacon, pine nuts, and green onions? Let me know.
You can make caramel sauce with coconut milk. It is amazing with sweet potato pancakes. Or on a spoon.
Our version of Easter eggs.
Anyone interested in a recipe for sweet potato pancakes? Pinto bean soup with bacon, pine nuts, and green onions? Let me know.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Mind-blowingly good spinach. Who knew?
I did not realize that spinach could be amazing. But it can. And it is easy. I put this on top of cottage cheese on top of a baked potato for a quick meal.
Heat some olive oil (just a bit) in a large skillet over medium-ish heat. Add fresh spinach, 1 clove minced garlic, some salt and pepper, and REAL maple syrup. Perhaps a tablespoon or two. Stir until evenly wilted, remove from heat and add just a bit of cream.
That's it. It is very, very good.
Heat some olive oil (just a bit) in a large skillet over medium-ish heat. Add fresh spinach, 1 clove minced garlic, some salt and pepper, and REAL maple syrup. Perhaps a tablespoon or two. Stir until evenly wilted, remove from heat and add just a bit of cream.
That's it. It is very, very good.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Lavender Vanilla Sugar Cookies
1 T lavender
2/3 c sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 t salt
Grind lavender and sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor. Combine with butter in a medium sized bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and combine. Add flour and salt and carefully carefully mix until just combined. Dough should be soft but not sticky, and guess what? No eggs. So go ahead and eat it without fear of illness. Form dough into two balls and flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on prepared sheet. I sprinkled them with white sugar crystals at this point. Put back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie. You want these underdone so that they are still soft. Let cool completely. No frosting needed.
2/3 c sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 t salt
Grind lavender and sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor. Combine with butter in a medium sized bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and combine. Add flour and salt and carefully carefully mix until just combined. Dough should be soft but not sticky, and guess what? No eggs. So go ahead and eat it without fear of illness. Form dough into two balls and flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on prepared sheet. I sprinkled them with white sugar crystals at this point. Put back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie. You want these underdone so that they are still soft. Let cool completely. No frosting needed.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Okay folks. This recipe is a must. It is amazing warm or cold. It is just amazing. I use 3 different cocoa powders that I buy every time I am in SLC at Tony Caputo's, but you can just use whatever cocoa powder you have on hand.
2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sugar
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 c milk (I've used skim, I've used half and half)
2 T butter
2 t vanilla extract
handful of chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)
In a medium saucepan whisk together the cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder and sugar. In a bowl combine the milk and egg yolks and slowly add to the mixture in the saucepan, whisking until combined. Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and chocolate chips until smooth. Eat immediately or later. If chilling be sure to put a piece of plastic wrap pressed on to the pudding to prevent a skim from forming. ENJOY.
2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sugar
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 c milk (I've used skim, I've used half and half)
2 T butter
2 t vanilla extract
handful of chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)
In a medium saucepan whisk together the cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder and sugar. In a bowl combine the milk and egg yolks and slowly add to the mixture in the saucepan, whisking until combined. Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and chocolate chips until smooth. Eat immediately or later. If chilling be sure to put a piece of plastic wrap pressed on to the pudding to prevent a skim from forming. ENJOY.
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