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Gnocchi a la Piemontegirl

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Many years ago, I stood in the kitchen at Casa Vietti and watched Nonna make gnocchi. She told me the recipe, and showed me how to do it, but I never did. I recentky grew my own Sage plant and since I don’t really like sage, I decided that I would try to make Gnocchi for my dad, since he loves Gnocchi with butter and sage. Here’s how it went!

Recipe Gnocchi Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds(1360g) of potato
  • 2 cups (4.7dl) flour
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 1 pinch of salt
Recipe Gnocchi

Step #3

Directions:

  1. Boil potatoes. Peel them while they are still warm, and mash them (or put them through a vegetable mill, if you just happen to have one of those)
  2. Boil water in a pot (to boil the gnocchi)
  3. Make a well in the center of the mashed potatoes (like the picture above) and sprinkle all the flour over it. Place the egg and salt into the well, and start mixing it all together with a fork (similar to how you make pasta). Knead until dry
  4. Roll the dough into “sausages” and cut them into pieces, and roll them into balls (like the picture below)
  5. Once that is done, place it in the boiling water and let it boil for a few minutes (until they float). Take them out of the water (if you want, put them in an ice bath) and let them dry.
Recipe Gnocchi Piemontegirl

Step #4

Now, for the butter and sage: all you have to do is place a ton of butter and sage in a pan, melt the butter and stir in the sage. Place the gnocchi in the pan, mix it up and serve!

Recipe Gnocchi Burro e Salvie

The results were pretty good! There was some disagreement on how well they were cooked, but overall I would call my first attempt a success!! Let me know if you try it!

Recipe Gnocchi Butter and Sage

Piemontegirl makes (funny looking)Ravioli

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Ravioli – home made (clearly!)

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe on how to make pasta dough. Here is a recipe on how to use that dough to make Ravioli!

All you need is:

  • The dough
  • A pasta machine (or a rolling pin)
  • The filling you want

In this recipe I used 4 cheese filling using ricotta, parmesan, cream cheese and mozzarella. You just mix the 4 cheeses together in a bowl with an egg and voila you have the filling. Here is how to do it:

  1. Roll a piece of the dough through the pasta machine a few times on the largest setting. Between each time, fold the sheet once before you run it through again. Then, slowly, you reduce the opening when you put it through until you reach the lowest setting. Use flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick.
  2. Once it is as flat as possible, do the same to another piece of dough so you have 2 sheets of pasta dough.
  3. Use a brush to “paint” the sheets with egg (so that they will stick together).
  4. Put the filling in dots along the sheet of pasta dough with enough space in between so you can close them.
  5. Cover the sheet with the filling with the other sheet, press down around the filling to close it. Then you can use a knife or a ravioli cutter to cut out the ravioli.
  6. Boil them in water until they float.
  7. Optional: fry them quickly in a pan with butter and sage.

Mine don’t look very nice but they taste good! Another filling is ricotta and spinach (with an egg), also delicious!

My pasta machine is from Eataly and I LOVE it! Next step is to make tajarin or tagliatelle or something else cool. Stay tuned!

Bon apetit!

Piemontegirl makes Pasta Dough

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Piemontegirl loves pasta

Piemontegirl, that’s me! As you probably know, I love italian food. Especially pasta. Over the years I have had the pleasure of cooking with some local italian women, among those the mother of Elena Currado (Vietti) and the mother of Bruno (who runs Corte Gondina).  These women are amazing cooks, and it is so much fun to cook with them. All in italian of course, and sometimes also in piedmontese… The latter is hard for me to comprehend, so hand gestures and visual aids are needed.

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Anyway, to make pasta dough from scratch you need:

  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Salt

And all you really need to do is pour the flour (and a touch of salt) into a bowl or right onto the counter, make a little valley where you put the egg and then slowly you mix it together until it becomes a solid dough. Then the fun part: You need to knead the dough for 10 minutes! Yes, you heard me. 10 minutes! Man, were my hands tired afterward. Not sure exactly why you have to knead for so long, but I always try to follow the recipe.

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Above you can see me, Piemontegirl, kneading the pasta dough. Once you are done kneading, place the dough in plastic and leave on the counter for about 30 minutes. Then you can make whatever pasta you want. My favorite is ravioli (recipe to come).

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Let me know if you try it! Or if you need help. Enjoy!

Friday Pizza with a twist

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How to make Friday Pizza Mario Batali style

As you know, I make pizza almost every friday, also known as Friday Pizza. I have been making the same pizza for years, so I recently tried a new recipe. And you know what? I will probably make it this way going forward instead of the old way.

Because H-O-L-Y C-O-W: It turned out amazing!

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Friday Pizza Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • 1 1/4 ounce pack active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 medium carrot, grated
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes
  • Salt

 

Friday Pizza Ingredients

Friday Pizza steps:

Pizza dough:

  1. Combine yeast. warm water and sugar, let sit for 10 minutes (until frothy)
  2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl
  3. Add yeast mixture and mix the ingredients until the dough is too stiff to stir. Continue with your hands until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides (add flour as necessary)
  4. Leave to rise.

Pizza sauce:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add onion and garlic, cook until soft and light golden brown (about 8-10 minutes)
  2. Add thyme and carrot, cook 5 more minutes, until carrot is quite soft
  3. Add the tomatoes and juice, bring to boil, while stirring (and crushing the tomatoes)
  4. Lower the heat after it is brought to boil, let simmer for 30 minutes
  5. This is where I put my twist: put it in a food processor. This will make it a smooth sauce (I don’t like lumps).
Friday Pizza

Friday Pizza

When you have made the dough and the sauce, roll out the pizza (or toss it if you are that good), add the sauce and whatever ingredients you like. In the picture there is regular margherita and a four cheese pizza, also a recipe from Mario Batali. Here are some of his recipes. 

Piemontegirl tries her hand at Panna Cotta

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Have you ever made Panna Cotta?

The Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian dessert. Usually served with fresh berries or caramel sauce and you’ll find it everywhere in the Barolo region.

Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta Ingredients

Here is how you make the Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

  • 2 gelatin leaves (or powder equivalent)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, slit (or drops of vanilla flavor)

Steps:

  1. If you are using gelatin leaves, let them soak in a bowl of water. If you are using powder, follow the instructions on the packet. I used powder.
  2. Pour the milk into a pan, bring to simmer point (don’t let it boil), and remove from heat. Add the gelatin.
  3. In another pot, pour the cream along with the sugar and vanilla bean. Bring to boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
  4. Once it boils, remove pan from heat, remove the vanilla bean and stir in the milk mixture.
  5. Put the mixture into desired pans or bowls (depends on how you want to serve it).
  6. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours (until it sets).
  7. Serve the Panna Cotta with a sauce or just fresh berries.

Serving the Panna Cotta

You can serve it many ways, below are two of my preferred ways. You can take it out of the form or bowl and serve it with fresh berries like the picture on the left or in the bowl with berries on top like the picture on the right. If there are many guests serving it in the bowl might be easier so you don’t have to spend time removing it (and there will be fewer dirty dishes!

Served out of the bowl
Served in the bowl

 

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Panna Cotta recipe from “The Silver Spoon”

Weeds with Sausage Ragu

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Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 4 sweet italian sausage links (or sausage of your choice)
  • 1/2 6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • salt and pepper
  • Pasta — Strozzapreti or casarecce
  • Optional (recommended): thyme, preferably fresh

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Preparation:

  1. Soften onions in oil, about 6-8 minutes
  2. Add sausage, cook until brown, about 10 minutes
  3. Add paste, cook for about 5 minutes
  4. Add wine, boil down until absorbed
  5. Stir in milk, season with salt & pepper (and thyme)
  6. Reduce heat, cook for about 15 minutes
  7. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta

And voila, you got yourself some weeds with sausage, courtesy of Piemontegirl and Mario Batali.

Bon apetit!

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Salsiccia Ragu

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Piemontegirl will now teach you how to make a salsiccia ragu that’s similar to everyone’s favorite “bolognese” but is so much better that you will never eat Bolognese again. Just follow these easy steps. Of course ingredients are vital, but if you have those, you should be good to go! If Piemontegirl can do it, so can you!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 4 sweet italian sausage links (or sausage of your choice)
  • 1/2 6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • salt and pepper
  • Pasta — Strozzapreti or casarecce
  • Optional (recommended): thyme, preferably fresh

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Preparation:

  1. Soften onions in oil, about 6-8 minutes
  2. Add sausage, cook until brown, about 10 minutes
  3. Then, add paste, cook for about 5 minutes
  4. Add wine, boil down until absorbed
  5. Stir in milk, season with salt & pepper (and thyme)
  6. Reduce heat, cook for about 15 minutes
  7. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta

Bon apetit!

Piemontegirl

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

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You need: 900g cream cheese, 36 oreo cookies, 5 tbsp butter, 2.3 dl milk, 70ml sugar, 1 plate gelatin.

  1. Separate the cookies, and put the cookie in a zip loc bag and the cream in a pot.
  2. Smash the cookies in the zip loc bag until completely crushed.  (Set a little bit aside for the top of the cake). Add the butter (melted) and stir. Pour into the cake form and pat down to make the crust of the cake.
  3. In a pot, put the cream cheese, sugar and cookie cream. Blend together it’s while melting. This will become the cake filling. On the side, mix the gelatin with the milk (warmed up). Add this to the pot with the cake filing.
  4. Once it has reached boiling point, pour it into the cake form. On the top, add a little of the cookie crumble.
  5. Put in the fridge for 4+ hours.

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The recipe is from AniFood

Orecchiette with Sausage & Rapini

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pasta

Ingredients:

1  broccoli head

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 4 tbsp

1/4 cup whole skinned almonds, toasted

5 cloves roasted garlic
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano

3/4 pound fresh pork sausage

1 pound orecchiette

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Prepare an ice bath and set aside. Boil water in a  pot. Blanch the broccoli for 5 minutes . Remove broccoli from the boiling water and shock in the ice bath. When the broccoli  is cool, drain and pat dry with a paper towel and reserve.

In a medium pan, add two tablespoons olive oil and cook the broccoli until lightly browned. Meanwhile, place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the broccoli, garlic, hot red pepper flakes and half of the Parmigiano to the bowl of the food processor and season with salt and pepper. While the food processor is running, slowly drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil until a smooth pesto has formed.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large  pan, add two tbsp olive oil and heat until just short of smoking. Sear the sausage until golden brown on both sides. Then, using tongs, break the sausage into small pieces and lower the heat.

Place pasta in the boiling water and cook two minutes less than indicated by the package instructions. While the pasta is boiling, add 1/4 cup pasta water to pan with the sausage. Add the pesto and work into the sausage with tongs to form a sauce. When the pasta is al dente, add it directly to the sauce and toss vigorously. Add butter and the remaining Parmigiano, remove from heat, and toss to incorporate. Plate and serve immediately.

Recipe from Mario Batali