Gobble Worthy Gnocchis

**This post is part of the Get Real series. Please remember that this is meant as a learning community. We know that many of you are passionate about what you do and we want you to express that, just please do so in a way that will be an encouragement and aid to others making a transition. We want this to be a “safe space” for participants to learn. For that reason, we reserve the right to delete any comments that are not handled in this manner.

Gnocchi (pronounced “no-key”) are Italian potato dumplings. And they are simply divine. They technically don’t fall into the pasta category, but they are very closely linked. Gnocchi, similar to pasta, is made from a base of eggs, flour, and water, and can be added to or adapted to your favorite tastes. Most gnocchi, like the one you’ll try today, are potato-based. About 85% of the recipes I have perused online for gnocchi used packaged or frozen in their ingredients list. Yes, there are some great organic, natural and gluten-free gnocchi out there on the store shelves, but making them is a cinch. They are the most freezer-friendly pasta the Once A Month cook could ask for. And they are so fun to make with your family and friends. We’ve even had gnocchi on our Real Food menu!

Potato Gnocchi

You will need:

• Sea Salt
• 1 pound organic russet potatoes
• 3-4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon italian seasonings
• 1/8 teaspoon sage
• 1 cup organic unbleached unenriched all purpose flour

First, preheat your oven to 425. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with sea salt and place the potatoes on top. This may sound odd, but it’s a trick I learned from my husband’s grandmother, and one they use at Texas Roadhouse. (Not that I eat there anymore). But baking potatoes on a layer of sea salt in the oven helps them cook evenly all the way around. Bake potatoes for 45 minutes. Next, let potatoes cool until warm enough to handle. Cut them in half and remove the insides. (You could then whip up some tasty potato skins for a snack.) Put the potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them through the large holes of a cheese grater. You want about two cups worth. Place the grated potatoes in a mound on the counter and make a well in the center like this: In the well place the egg yolks, parmesan, salt, pepper, italian seasonings, and sage. Now gently mix in the potatoes with the well ingredients with your hands until a sticky dough has formed. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour over the top and press gently into the sticky dough, and fold it into itself. Sprinkle in more flour little by little until it just holds together. There’s no need to knead it like the egg noodles. Cut the dough into four sections. Then take one of the sections and roll it out in a rope about a half-inch in diameter. Then cut the rope into half-inch long pieces. You can cook the gnocchi just like this or form them into a classic gnocchi shape by using a simple dinner fork. Just smoosh them lightly onto the back of a fork and then roll it towards the end of the tines on itself and boom! Instant gnocchi! Now place them onto a wax paper-covered baking sheet or cutting board and let them sit in the open air for about 15 minutes. Then if you want to save them for another day or night to cook, simply dump them into a freezer bag until you’re ready to eat them! When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon, and serve as desired. I like them with just a sprinkle of olive oil, fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes. But a good old marinara sauce doesn’t hurt either.

March Week Four Action Item:

March Get Real:

Please take a moment to thank our guest authors by clicking over to their sites and/or liking them on Facebook and/or Twitter.