Pasta Day
Hello Carbohydrate Coma! So nice of you to stop by.
As anticipated, I ate myself into a pasta-inflicted coma. I put more into my food-poisoned belly than should have been humanly possible. I couldn't help it though! It all looked and smelled so enticing. I will say though, today was much better than grain day and bean day. I mean, come on-8 hours of beans? Really? That day was horrible for not only me, but everyone who was forced to be around me for the 3 days following. But today seems to be much more bearable. So far.
A few notes: Pasta means "paste" in Italian, referring to the dough made by combining durum wheat with liquid. Dry pastas are mainly flour and water, where fresh pastas are flour and egg. Dry pastas take longer to cook and can be cooked in larger batches. They will keep almost indefinitely in a cool and dry place, where fresh pastas will keep covered in the fridge for about 4 days.
Of the MANY varieties that we made and pigged out on today, my favorite was the potato gnocchi, which means "dumpling" in Italian. They were not like most of the gnocchi I had ever had. The ones I had previously enjoyed were dense, doughy, or chewy. These babies were light and fluffy, like little potato pillows. Now that I say that, I will probably have a nightmare that my pillows are actually made of potatoes, but nevertheless, these were delicious. Here is the recipe:
Gnocchi: Yields 6 Servings
2 lbs russet potatoes
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
UP TO 1 and 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Prick flesh of the potatoes with a fork and bake until tender, about 1 hour. (We baked ours on a bed of sea salt, which made a flavorful potato and even better potato skins for snacking!)
3. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm and put into a medium bowl. Mash using a potato ricer (this creates the smoothest and least gummy potato) or with a hand masher. Add eggs and salt. Add the flour in increments, working it in to bind the potato mixture. Add JUST ENOUGH flour to hold the dough together. This dough does not need to be kneaded. Break off handfuls of dough and roll them into snakes about 1 inch in diameter. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the gnocchi into 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch pieces. Lightly dust in flour. If you are unsure if your dough is the right consistency, you could make small test batch. If they fall apart during cooking, add additional flour to the dough, and continue as described.
4. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add gnocchi in small batches. When the gnocchi rise to the top, count to ten before removing. Toss immediately in sauce and serve.
My favorite preparation of these today was in browned butter with fresh sage. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter per person in a sautee pan. Shake pan to keep butter moving and cook until golden brown and nutty smelling. Season with salt and add in about a tsp of finely shredded (chiffonaded) fresh sage per person. Shake to combine and add in cooked gnocchi. Serve topped with Parmesan and additional fresh sage, if desired (I do!).
Note: You can also substitute half of the russet potato with sweet potato, which will make a delicious and colorful dumpling.
Hope you enjoy this bad boy. I know I did, over and over again. For 6 hours. Many more delicious items were made today. Recipes to come.
As anticipated, I ate myself into a pasta-inflicted coma. I put more into my food-poisoned belly than should have been humanly possible. I couldn't help it though! It all looked and smelled so enticing. I will say though, today was much better than grain day and bean day. I mean, come on-8 hours of beans? Really? That day was horrible for not only me, but everyone who was forced to be around me for the 3 days following. But today seems to be much more bearable. So far.
A few notes: Pasta means "paste" in Italian, referring to the dough made by combining durum wheat with liquid. Dry pastas are mainly flour and water, where fresh pastas are flour and egg. Dry pastas take longer to cook and can be cooked in larger batches. They will keep almost indefinitely in a cool and dry place, where fresh pastas will keep covered in the fridge for about 4 days.
Of the MANY varieties that we made and pigged out on today, my favorite was the potato gnocchi, which means "dumpling" in Italian. They were not like most of the gnocchi I had ever had. The ones I had previously enjoyed were dense, doughy, or chewy. These babies were light and fluffy, like little potato pillows. Now that I say that, I will probably have a nightmare that my pillows are actually made of potatoes, but nevertheless, these were delicious. Here is the recipe:Gnocchi: Yields 6 Servings
2 lbs russet potatoes
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
UP TO 1 and 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Prick flesh of the potatoes with a fork and bake until tender, about 1 hour. (We baked ours on a bed of sea salt, which made a flavorful potato and even better potato skins for snacking!)
3. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm and put into a medium bowl. Mash using a potato ricer (this creates the smoothest and least gummy potato) or with a hand masher. Add eggs and salt. Add the flour in increments, working it in to bind the potato mixture. Add JUST ENOUGH flour to hold the dough together. This dough does not need to be kneaded. Break off handfuls of dough and roll them into snakes about 1 inch in diameter. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the gnocchi into 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch pieces. Lightly dust in flour. If you are unsure if your dough is the right consistency, you could make small test batch. If they fall apart during cooking, add additional flour to the dough, and continue as described.
4. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add gnocchi in small batches. When the gnocchi rise to the top, count to ten before removing. Toss immediately in sauce and serve.
My favorite preparation of these today was in browned butter with fresh sage. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter per person in a sautee pan. Shake pan to keep butter moving and cook until golden brown and nutty smelling. Season with salt and add in about a tsp of finely shredded (chiffonaded) fresh sage per person. Shake to combine and add in cooked gnocchi. Serve topped with Parmesan and additional fresh sage, if desired (I do!).
Note: You can also substitute half of the russet potato with sweet potato, which will make a delicious and colorful dumpling.
Hope you enjoy this bad boy. I know I did, over and over again. For 6 hours. Many more delicious items were made today. Recipes to come.
Any reciepts for Sweet Potato chips or close substitiute?
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