I LOVE gnocchi! But only the home made ones...store-bought varieties leave a lot to be desired! Fortunately they are easy to make and they freeze so well that there is really no reason to waste your money. This is a basic italian recipe, and adding grated cheeses or chopped herbs and spices can give you some great new flavours. A traditional meat sauce is perfect for gnocchi, but cream sauces and pestos work really well too. When I make a batch, I usually cook half right away and freeze the rest, uncooked, in small ziplock bags (for single servings). When a gnocchi craving hits you all you have to do is drop them into boiling water and about 2 minutes later they are ready to enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 lbs potatoes
2 cups flour + more for kneading
1 egg, ligthly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
(optional 1/2 cup grated parmesan)
1 tbsp butter
Directions:
-wash potatoes, place in a pot and cover with cold water to cover potatoes
-bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft when pricked with a fork
-drain and allow to cool for 5 minutes
-peel potatoes while still hot, transfer to a large bowl and immediately mash (or pass through a potato ricer and into a bowl)
-add flour, egg, salt and pepper and combine with a fork and then with your hands until a dough begins to form
-turn out onto a well floured surface and form a ball, cut it into 6 pieces
-take one piece and roll it out with your hands on a well floured surface to form a long rope of dough about 1" thick
-cut across it diagonally into 1" pieces to form gnocchi
-repeat with remaining dough
-at this point you can either cook the gnocchi right away or freeze them for future use
-if freezing lay out gnocchi on a lightly floured cookie sheet and place in freezer for about 2 hrs, then transfer to a zip lock bag (will keep well for several months)
-to cook gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in fresh (or frozen) gnocchi in batches (do not crowd) and cook until the gnocchi float to the surface (about 1-2 minutes)
-remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl with a tbsp of butter in it, cover and keep warm and repeat with remaining gnocchi
-serve immediately topped with your sauce of choice and a good grating of parmesan cheese
*meat sauce, pesto and cream sauces are perfect for gnocchi
*serves 8
"The most successful people are those that are good at Plan B." ~james yorke
"Every morning is a new beginning,
a new chance for you to rewrite
the story of your life."
~anon
With fall just around the corner I've got apple picking...and apple recipes on my mind...
This pancake recipe is a bit different in that you are making just one large pancake and baking it to serve in wedges...it's easy to prepare and perfect for a family breakfast or brunch...delicious!
* adapted from a Gooseberry Patch recipe
Ingredients:
1 large apple, cored, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
4 eggs
2/3 cups milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter melted and cooled
2/3 cups flour
icing sugar for dusting
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)
Directions:
-preheat oven to 350F
-lightly butter a 10-inch pie plate
-in a small bowl toss together the chopped apple with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and transfer to the pie plate
-bake for 13 minutes, remove from oven and set aside
-turn up oven to 450F
-in a blender mix together eggs, milk, vanilla extract, melted butter and flour until well combined
-pour mixture into pie plate, over the apples and bake for 15 minutes
-allow to cool for a couple of minutes then cut into 8 wedges and serve dusted with icing sugar and maple syrup if using
*serves 4 (2 wedges each), or 8 if you have other food to serve alongside
What we do for ourselves
dies with us.
What we do for others
and the world remains
and is immortal.
~albert pine (english author)
I first tried this loaf many years ago when I was barely a teen. A classmate's mom became friends with my mom and at some point this recipe was exchanged. I was not a fan of zucchini then, or most other green veggies for that matter, and I remember thinking " How can there be zucchini in this??? It's sooooo good!". Forward 30 yrs and I now find myself trying to trick my own kids into eating veggies they are not keen on. This recipe does the trick, and it's also a great way to use up all those zucchini that are just about ready in your garden!
*original recipe from Mrs. Calderwood, adapted by me to suit my family's tastes
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
-preheat oven to 350F
-add first 5 ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk with a fork to combine
-in a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla
-add zucchini and stir
-add flour mixture and stir until just combined
-add cranberries and nuts and stir to combine
-pour into a greased loaf pan
-bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean
-allow to cool in pan on wire rack for about 30 minutes
-remove from pan and enjoy sliced
