Happy Memorial Day!!! Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Happy Memorial Day!! The photo above is of my Grandpa with his plane from WW2. This might be one of my favorite photos of him. He was a US Air Force Pilot, and boy did he have some stories. I hope all of you go out and hug your vets, remember the fallen, and pray for those abroad risking their lives.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! We seem to be on a trend of celebrating a week late, but at least this gives me a little more time to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe! :)

I think we might be the only people not grilling or bbq-ing this weekend. I totally wasn't thinking last week when I planned out the weekend's worth of dinners. I don't mind, really, and I don't think Dave did either.

I am saving the post about tonight's dinner until tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I have no food to post about tonight! (Just no new pictures.)

This morning, I was all about refilling the freezer. I love the flavors of slow-cooked meals, but I prefer something a little faster on a weeknight. (Who doesn't?) I started off making more of the twice-cooked red chile sauce that goes so nicely with steaks. Then I made another batch of the grater-box gnocchi. And then, to use up the sour cream sitting in the fridge, I made a batch of snickerdoodle muffins! Whew! Didn't take me too long, as I could have more than one thing going at once, and now I can just pull something out for dinner (or breakfast, in the case of the muffins), whip it together, and have it taste like it took way longer! Nice!

See the recipe...

Gnocchi Bolognese

So what if the last two real dinners we had were gnocchi? Are you counting?

Well, thats my hangup. I find something new, and I make it over and over again - 3 or 4 times over a couple of weeks. Just to make sure... its research!

When I mentioned to my (Italian) friend Stephanie that I was going to toss the two together, she seemed shocked. WHY would I mix gnocchi and bolognese??? My favorite Italian place, Filomena's, has it on their menu that way, and its the only thing I've ever had there. And I'm very much ok with that. :)

I had the extra gnocchi frozen from a couple of nights ago... and I was in the mood for bolognese. This particular recipe makes A LOT of bolognese... I just put away 5 baggies of it for future dinners, AFTER we'd already had our dinner. Mind you, its just the two of us. Dave loves it, and its an easy dinner down the road. Woohoo!

Now, totally by chance, I grated enough parm that I had enough rind to trim off and add to my collection in the freezer. As I was putting the bag away, I thought, why not actually use some of these cheese rinds? Why am I freezing them if I'm not going to use them? So, for the first time ever, I threw three in the sauce (near the end). They mostly dissolved... and I can't say that I notice a difference. I've never used parm rinds before, I don't know if I used them in the right dish, so if you have any rind experience/guidance, let me know.

PS: Turns out that Steph misunderstood me, and thought I was having (ruining) my gnocchi with bearnaise, rather than bolognese. Explains the horrified look she gave me. :)

Adapted from:
Spaghetti Bolognese
By: Emeril Lagasse
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_28747,00.html?rsrc=search

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces bacon or pancetta, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound ground beef or ground veal
1/2 pound pork sausage, removed from the casings, or ground pork
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup beef or chicken stock or broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and the fat is rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan and remove any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, and until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the cream, butter, and parsley, stir well, and simmer for 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and return the water to a low boil. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and toss to blend. Divide among pasta bowls and serve with the cheese passed tableside. (Alternatively, toss only the desired portion of pasta with a bit of the sauce at a time in a serving bowl, reserving the remainder for another meal.)

See the recipe...

What's up, Tuber?

Tonight, I thought I would jump on the box-grater gnocchi bandwagon, considering the buzz started by Smitten Kitchen. I have suffered for my gnocchi... the last time being many years ago, and I don't even think gnocchi was made.. I think I gave up and was left with a bowl of sticky, floury potatoes. Yuck.

With so many great comments from people that have actually made gnocchi with their very own hands... and having just had stellar gnocchi at dinner (at Grapeseed Bistro) with my family, I had to do it.

After the jump, you'll find two recipes: Smitten Kitchen's Grater-Box Gnocchi, and a recipe I adapted from an Everyday Italian recipe.. I swapped out the pancetta for the sausage, and gnocchi for the orecchiette. Reason being, this is how my husband had it at Grapeseed.

Does this count as making it my own?

PS: A shoutout goes to Ruth at Once Upon a Feast - I couldn't make my very own gnocchi, successfully, without sharing! Go go Presto Pasta Night!!

Gnocchi

Adapted from About.com
From: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/04/saved-by-a-grater#more-220

2 pounds Russet potatoes

1½ cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake them on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to one hour, or until they are fork-tender. For best results, turn the potatoes over halfway through the baking time. Let the potatoes cool slightly.

Peel the potatoes, and then pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or grate them over the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg and the salt to the potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour to the potatoes a little at a time, using only as much as you need so that the dough will not stick to your hands. When the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together with your fingertips.

Dump the dough and any remaining floury bits onto a slightly floured surface. Knead the dough as you would bread dough. Press down and away with the heel of your hand, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn, and repeat the process. Knead for about three or four minutes. Form the dough into a ball and then divide it into 6 smaller balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the six pieces using your fingertips into a long rope about ¾ inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.

You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges. To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the tines of a fork. With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This takes a little practice. If you find the dough sticking to the fork, dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it.

Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured or parchment-lined dish. If you'd like to freeze them for later use, do so on this tray and once they are frozen, drop them into a freezer bag. This ensures that you won't have one enormous gnocchi mass when you are ready to cook them.

To cook the gnocchi, place them into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.

Used to make:

Gnocchi with Pancetta and Broccoli Rabe
Adapted from:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25588,00.html?rsrc=search

1 bunch broccoli rabe, stems trimmed

1 pound gnocchi

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound pancetta, medium-sliced (about 6 slices)

3 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch dried crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool, saving the cooking water. Bring the reserved cooking water back to a boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until browned and juices form, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

To cook the gnocchi, place them into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.

Strain the broccoli rabe and add it to the pan with the pancetta mixture and toss to coat with the juices. Add the gnocchi to the skillet. Stir in the Parmesan and serve immediately.

See the recipe...