I received a gift from the Redpack tomato gurus this week via the Daring Kitchen. Click over to the Daring Kitchen website to read all about it! And here is what I created with Redpack's fine product: Fresh made Potato Gnocchi with a truly Superb Red Sauce.
I have never had any luck making fresh pasta at home, with the exception of potato gnocchi. It's surprisingly easy to do and completely rewarding. This here is a very nice meal, and one I can throw together fairly quickly even on a weekday.
Potato Gnocchi
Serves 4 to 6.
2 large baking potatoes, halved and unpeeled
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Pinch of salt and black pepper
Pinch of freshly shaved nutmeg (optional)
Boil potatoes in salted water until they are tender enough to slide a skewer easily through the center (about 25 or 30 minutes). Remove potatoes from the water and once they are cool enough to handle but still quite warm, slide the skins off of the potatoes using your fingers. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer, first on the large setting, then on the small setting. If you don't have a potato ricer you can flake small pieces off the warm potatoes with a fork (take your time to get the smallest bits possible). Mound your potato bits on a lightly floured work surface and create a well in the center of the mound. Pour the beaten egg into the well and sprinkle the flour, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg over the whole thing. Starting in the center of the well and working your way gradually out, mix with your fingers until you have a rough but cohesive ball of dough. Begin by swirling the egg into the center potatoes at first. Continue by tossing the outer potato bits into the center and mixing the mound gradually into a rough mass. This will take less than a minute once you get the hang of it, and your hands will get messy. Using a bench scraper or wide putty knife, pick up the dough and clean your work surface, then lightly flour your work surface. Knead the dough gently 3 or 4 times until smooth and soft, then shape the dough into a ball.
Boil potatoes in salted water until they are tender enough to slide a skewer easily through the center (about 25 or 30 minutes). Remove potatoes from the water and once they are cool enough to handle but still quite warm, slide the skins off of the potatoes using your fingers. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer, first on the large setting, then on the small setting. If you don't have a potato ricer you can flake small pieces off the warm potatoes with a fork (take your time to get the smallest bits possible). Mound your potato bits on a lightly floured work surface and create a well in the center of the mound. Pour the beaten egg into the well and sprinkle the flour, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg over the whole thing. Starting in the center of the well and working your way gradually out, mix with your fingers until you have a rough but cohesive ball of dough. Begin by swirling the egg into the center potatoes at first. Continue by tossing the outer potato bits into the center and mixing the mound gradually into a rough mass. This will take less than a minute once you get the hang of it, and your hands will get messy. Using a bench scraper or wide putty knife, pick up the dough and clean your work surface, then lightly flour your work surface. Knead the dough gently 3 or 4 times until smooth and soft, then shape the dough into a ball.
Dust a clean work area with flour. Divide the dough into 8 equal sized wedges. One wedge at a time, gently shape and roll the dough out into ropes about the diameter of a nickel and a foot long each. Line up the ropes side by side. Using a wide blade, cut the ropes into pieces about an inch long. You may now cook the fresh gnocchi or freeze them on floured sheet pans. Once frozen, dump them into plastic bags and freeze for later meals. Whether raw or frozen, when you're ready to cook the gnocchi, put a big pot of salted water on to boil.
Gently drop the gnocchi in boiling water, no more than a half recipe at a time. As soon as they rise to the surface they are done. This takes only a minute or two. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon as they finish cooking, draining well. Slide them directly into a warm pot of simple red sauce (link to recipe). Serve warm with a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
I also like to serve gnocchi tossed in browned butter, with a drizzle of heavy cream and fried sage (in this case definitely include the nutmeg in the recipe).
YUM! Enjoy!
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