Gnocchi!

Last night we made gnocchi and I thought I'd share this easy recipe with you so you can try making it at home too. The kids love it as it's kind of like play dough! Hope it works out, let me know!

Potato Gnocchi

this recipe feeds our family of seven

1.5 kg Desiree potatoes (I found some older ones at the greengrocer and they worked well)

300 grams plain flour

salt

egg

also one batch of simple sugo sauce - garlic, onion and tomato sugo. Fresh or tinned tomatoes would be fine too. Of couse you can add anything to this, bacon, salami, other vegies.

1. Throw the spuds (whole with skins on) into a big pan of water and boil until they are well cooked but not mushy. Turn the water off and one at a time pull one out and remove the skin.

2. When all are done and the potatos are still warm, but not hot, put them through a ricer or mouli. I bought a ricer for this purpose and it has been so worthwhile. It's fun watching the little worms of potoato coming out!

3. Let the riced potato build up on your floured bench top until all potatoes are done.

4. Then mix in the flour a little at a time. Add a sprinkle of salt too. Sometime near the end of the flour I add one free range egg and keep mixing it all with your hands. Try not to over mix though as it might make the gnocchi tough. You'll know when it's ready to roll out as it's not too sticky and not too dry.

5. Then cut some off and start rolling out little sausages of dough. Cut these into segments and then

roll into ovals or balls. Sometimes I don't even bother and just cook them in little rectangles. It's up to you.

You can put indentations in them so the sauce sticks to the gnocchi using a fork or special gnocchi implement, see below. Again, it doesn't really matter but looks good!

6. Now you are ready to cook these little babies! Here are mine waiting to hope into a big pan of boiling water.

7. Start putting your batches in, a little at a time. They cook super quickly so have an oven dish ready to put your cooked gnocchi in. It only takes a minute or two and they are floating up to the top. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out, draining the water as you go. Pop in the prewarmed oven (on low) and then transer cooked gnocchi so it keeps warm.
Last night I also had some sugo sauce in the oven dish to keep the gnocchi moist.

When it's all cooked serve with some more of the sugo sauce and top with parmesan, also parsley or basil for some extra colour & flavour. Yum!!! (Mark & I also add chilli flakes for a little pizazz)

There are plenty of other sauces you can use but we like a simple one and it's very tasty. Don't give up if it's not quite right the first time. Our whole family love this dish and that's saying something!!

In other non gnocchi related news Mark & I are off to have some child free time this weekend. Our eldest is minding our youngest at home and the other three are staying with friends & Nan. It's going to be ace and fun and relaxing and amazing and I can't wait!!!!!! Woo hooo!!

Like most parents Mark & I have very little time on our own and as I already had my beautiful Charlotte when I met Mark we have never known time without kids. Don't get me wrong though, I love our kids so much and I do always feel a bit anxious when we aren't with them, but it's so important for Mark & I to have some time together too.

Hope your weekend is amazing too, lovely friends. I'll leave you now with some photo's from today xo

Lucy with her swimming certificate

Bill with his new pet, Bertie the Rhino Beetle.

("Mum, did you know a Rhino beetle can carry 850 times it's own weight?? That's like a human carrying seven family cars!")

Rosie with a flower for you x