Friday, January 15, 2010

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

18 comments:

Sue said...

What a wonderful recipe Beck! Love Bill with his rhino beetle, always good to know new facts, imagine having to carry a load like 7 cars - my goodness. I do hope you and Mark have a really lovely weekend away together too!

mel @ loved handmade said...

Delicious! Thanks for sharing!

CurlyPops said...

Mmmmmyummmm - my sister in law makes home made gnocchi and I love it. Maybe it should give it a go myself with that lovely recipe.

PaisleyJade said...

So glad you posted this recipe as I have been wanting to try it and I am sure my kids will enjoy helping!

Enjoy your time away - we just had a break too and loved it!!

posie blogs Jennie McClelland said...

Oh brilliant timing, as i'm learning to cook (i know, i'm 34 with 4 children who can cook better than me & i'm left alone for months on end without my husband who CAN cook EXTREMELY well). I'm all over the Italian Silver Spoon children's adaptation cook book . . . we had planned to make gnocchi this weekend. My eldest insists on it, but i'm sure after steaming potatoes she'll lose interest. Anyway, thanks for this, i'll follow your post combined with my cook book instructions & let you know how it goes!! I have big eaters (hollow legs) so if that quantity does 7, we're set!!
Have a brilliant weekend, um, can't remember if we have EVER been away since having children?? Oh yes, one weekend in Kakadu 10 years ago, with friends, still not quite the same. Lucky, enjoy, love Posie

sweet emmelie said...

that gnochi looks beautiful, one of these days i will just have to try that one and such sweet photos of the kids.
And enjoy your weekend, sounds like you definitely deserve it. Maybe one day soon me and my husband might be able to get away!

Dawn said...

That gnocchi looks good - must give it a try one day.
Enjoy your grown-up time, you lucky thing!

Rachael @Mogantosh said...

Yum! And I love your green cupboard with all the tea-cups. I've got 150 bone china tea- plates I collected for my wedding. Vintage china is so beautiful...but I'm not sure what to do with them now. Must just get them out somewhere I can look at them and feel happy...

Cathie said...

mmm gnocchi, they look delicious!
and what about your teacups there in the background!! absolutely gorgeous.
have fun on the weekend ♥

Unknown said...

Yum! have a great weekend. I need one of those....

GardenOfDaisies said...

Aren't children precious! LOve that new pet! :-)
I love Gnocchi! thanks for showing us how easy it is to make. Hope you two have a fantastic weekend away!

Hayley Egan said...

dribbling all over the keyboard...

Mel said...

As I type this my playdough and "I-help-in-the-kitchen obsessed" two year old is sitting beside me (eating brekkie AND playing with his beloved dough) and I am thinking why on earth had I never thought of combining these two loves? Gnocchi seems the perfect solution! Yay for you sharing this recipe!

Oh and yay for kid free time! Soak up every second!

Leanne said...

Oh I love gnocchi! It's been way too long since I have made some and yours looks just delish!
Enjoy your alone time....sigh...it's been way too long since we've had that too. ;)

Jen Kershner said...

Yummy! We just recently discovered gnocchi but I've never attempted it myself.

Anonymous said...

enjoy your weekend away! i always feel rejuvenated after a bit of kid free time.

V for Violet said...

Have a lovely weekend - I know just what you mean about missing your kids even when you don't get away much!!
Just wanted to let you know that you bring sunshine to my blogging life so I'm passing on an award to you. It's waiting on my blog so do pop in and see me

moose and bird said...

Yum, that gnocchi looks fantastic. xo