Cooking
Dried pasta is the perfect convenience food, after all it only takes a pot of boiling water to cook it. But fresh pasta is another story. It takes work. Having a food processor and a pasta rolling machine make it a little easier but it's far from foolproof. And the trickiest pasta of all is really a potato dumpling--gnocchi.
Gnocchi is such a favorite in our household that if it is on a menu it will likely find its way onto our table. While I can make a terrific ricotta gnocchi, wonderful pumpkin gnocchi and even a Roman style semolina gnocchi, the secret to making perfect potato gnocchi has remained illusive. And I have tried every trick possible--from baking the potatoes on a bed of rock salt to adding egg yolks to the dough. The problem is, if the dough is too firm it cooks up dense and heavy. And if the dough is too light, it practically melts in the pot of water, losing its shape and turning to mush. So what to do?
Well the first thing NOT to do is buy pre-packaged gnocchi, they are sure to disappoint. At the Fancy Food Show back in January I happened upon a great solution. Ecco La Pasta gnocchi flour comes in a bag that makes a pound of pasta when you add the water to mix it up. In the time it takes to boil a pot of water, the gnocchi will be ready to go--roughly ten minutes. I'm not normally a big fan of dried mixes, so I was skeptical at first...but it really works! With painstakingly clear instructions included, you simply cannot fail. If you're still not convinced you can do it, you can review the "how to" demonstration video.
The gnocchi flour in additon to their pasta flour comes in four flavors--Rosemary & Garlic, Sundried Tomato, Spinach and Potato, costs just under $4 per package and is now available locally at Sur La Table stores but check the web site to see where you can find it near you or to purchase online.
- Passover Spinach Ricotta Gnudi
Spinach ricotta gnudi, made with no wheat flour, are my latest recipe, just in time for Passover. This week marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites liberation from Egypt and also Spring, rebirth, renewal, freedom, belonging,...
- Passover Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe
During Passover, I miss pasta. I make passover-friendly crepes, potato pancakes, and daydream a bit about spaghetti. Of course, if you are eating rice you can eat rice noodles I suppose but I wanted to come up with something else that would satisfy me...
- Town And Downtown@the Hisam: Restaurant Reviews
I've had a lot of great meals in Honolulu, but if I had to pick my favorite dinner so far, it would be the one I had at Town. Town is in Kaimuki, a funky neighborhood packed with good restaurants. The bistro menu features mostly local and organic...
- Al Dente Pasta: Favorite Things
It's no secret that I'm crazy about pasta. I could eat it everyday. Something about the texture of noodles is so appealing to me. I like glutinous chewy noodles, egg noodles, tiny little types like orzo, soup noodles, crispy noodles. I like them...
- I Know, It's Been Ages
It's not that I haven't been cooking; I have. It's more that when I attempt to take a picture, the digital camera is full, or out of batteries. Or sometimes, the food just isn't that interesting. It happens. But (oh, a week or so ago)...
Cooking
Ecco La Pasta!
Dried pasta is the perfect convenience food, after all it only takes a pot of boiling water to cook it. But fresh pasta is another story. It takes work. Having a food processor and a pasta rolling machine make it a little easier but it's far from foolproof. And the trickiest pasta of all is really a potato dumpling--gnocchi.
Gnocchi is such a favorite in our household that if it is on a menu it will likely find its way onto our table. While I can make a terrific ricotta gnocchi, wonderful pumpkin gnocchi and even a Roman style semolina gnocchi, the secret to making perfect potato gnocchi has remained illusive. And I have tried every trick possible--from baking the potatoes on a bed of rock salt to adding egg yolks to the dough. The problem is, if the dough is too firm it cooks up dense and heavy. And if the dough is too light, it practically melts in the pot of water, losing its shape and turning to mush. So what to do?
Well the first thing NOT to do is buy pre-packaged gnocchi, they are sure to disappoint. At the Fancy Food Show back in January I happened upon a great solution. Ecco La Pasta gnocchi flour comes in a bag that makes a pound of pasta when you add the water to mix it up. In the time it takes to boil a pot of water, the gnocchi will be ready to go--roughly ten minutes. I'm not normally a big fan of dried mixes, so I was skeptical at first...but it really works! With painstakingly clear instructions included, you simply cannot fail. If you're still not convinced you can do it, you can review the "how to" demonstration video.
The gnocchi flour in additon to their pasta flour comes in four flavors--Rosemary & Garlic, Sundried Tomato, Spinach and Potato, costs just under $4 per package and is now available locally at Sur La Table stores but check the web site to see where you can find it near you or to purchase online.
- Passover Spinach Ricotta Gnudi
Spinach ricotta gnudi, made with no wheat flour, are my latest recipe, just in time for Passover. This week marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites liberation from Egypt and also Spring, rebirth, renewal, freedom, belonging,...
- Passover Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe
During Passover, I miss pasta. I make passover-friendly crepes, potato pancakes, and daydream a bit about spaghetti. Of course, if you are eating rice you can eat rice noodles I suppose but I wanted to come up with something else that would satisfy me...
- Town And Downtown@the Hisam: Restaurant Reviews
I've had a lot of great meals in Honolulu, but if I had to pick my favorite dinner so far, it would be the one I had at Town. Town is in Kaimuki, a funky neighborhood packed with good restaurants. The bistro menu features mostly local and organic...
- Al Dente Pasta: Favorite Things
It's no secret that I'm crazy about pasta. I could eat it everyday. Something about the texture of noodles is so appealing to me. I like glutinous chewy noodles, egg noodles, tiny little types like orzo, soup noodles, crispy noodles. I like them...
- I Know, It's Been Ages
It's not that I haven't been cooking; I have. It's more that when I attempt to take a picture, the digital camera is full, or out of batteries. Or sometimes, the food just isn't that interesting. It happens. But (oh, a week or so ago)...