Gnocchi

How to Make Gnocchi

These Italian potato dumplings are like little pillows of love!

You'll Need:

2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium),
scrubbed, stabbed full of fork holes,
rubbed with oil, and salted
6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour,
more for kneading and rolling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Let's go:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the prepared potatoes on a baking sheet.
Bake potatoes 1 hour, until tender all the way through. Allow to cool, about 30 minutes.
Put the unpeeled potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by at least 2 inches and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pot, and simmer the potatoes until they are completely tender and easily pierced with a skewer, 30 to 35 minutes.
Drain the potatoes, let them cool just enough that you can handle them, and then peel them. Cut them in half crosswise and pass them through a ricer into a large bowl. Let cool until almost at room temperature, at least 20 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface. In a small bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Add the egg to the potatoes and then add the flour mixture. Mix with your hands until the flour is moistened and the dough starts to clump together; the dough will still be a bit crumbly at this point. Gather the dough together and press it against the bottom of the bowl until you have a uniform mass. Transfer it to the floured surface and wash your hands.
Knead gently until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft, smooth, and a little sticky, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Don’t overmix it, or the gnocchi will be tough; the dough should feel very delicate.) Move the dough to one side, making sure the surface underneath it is well floured. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel.
Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment and sprinkle lightly with flour.
Remove any lingering bits of dough from your work surface and lightly reflour the surface. Tear off a piece of dough about the size of a large lemon and put the towel back on the rest of the dough so it doesn’t dry out.
With the palms of both hands, roll the dough piece on the floured surface into a rope about 3/4 inch in diameter.
With a sharp knife or a bench knife, cut the rope crosswise every 3/4 inch to make roughly 3/4-inch-square gnocchi. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on the parchment-covered baking sheets, making sure they don’t touch. Repeat until you run out of dough, reflouring the work surface as needed. When all the gnocchi have been cut and spread out on the baking sheets, sprinkle them with a little more flour.
If you’re going to use the gnocchi within 2 to 3 hours, they can sit out on the counter. For longer storage, see the make ahead tips below.

Make Ahead Tips
You can serve freshly made gnocchi right away or within a couple of hours, or you can freeze them for later use.
Put the gnocchi in the freezer while they’re still on the baking sheets and freeze until they are hard to the touch, at least one hour. Transfer them to a large zip-top bag or several smaller bags and freeze for up to two months.
Cook frozen gnocchi in boiling water in two batches. Frozen gnocchi cause the temperature of the cooking water to drop, so they’ll fall apart before the water returns to a boil if there are too many in the pot.
Don’t refrigerate fresh gnocchi for more than two or three hours, as they tend to ooze water and become soggy.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

seriouseats.com

You'll Need:

4 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, preferably imported D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes (see note)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
4 tablespoons butter
8 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 medium carrot, cut into large chunks
1 medium onion, split in half
1 large sprig fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley or basil leaves (or a mix of the two)
Optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Let's go:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place tomatoes in a large bowl. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes by squeezing them in your fingers until pieces no larger than 1/2-inch remain. Transfer 3 cups of crushed tomatoes to a sealed container and reserve in the refrigerator until step 4.

2. Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until butter is melted. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add pepper flakes and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, carrot, onion, and basil, and stir to combine. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat.

3. Cover Dutch oven with lid slightly ajar and transfer to oven. Cook, stirring once every 1 to 2 hours, until reduced by about half and darkened to a deep red, 5 to 6 hours (reduce oven temperature if the sauce is bubbling too rapidly or the browned bits begin to turn too dark).

4. Remove from oven. Using tongs, discard onion halves, carrots, and basil stems. Add reserved tomatoes to sauce and stir to combine. Add fish sauce, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir in minced herbs along with additional olive oil as desired. Serve immediately, or allow to cool at room temperature, transfer to airtight containers, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

5. Sauce can also be frozen in sealed containers for up to 6 months. To reheat, warm very gently in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water, stirring until it all melts and heats through.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

You'll Need:

2 cans white beans
1 small shallot
1/2 litre unsweetened almond milk (or cashew)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tbsp vinegar (white wine or apple cider vinegar)
1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Let's go:

1. Blend everything in food processor or blender. Warm up low on stove.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more milk or water as needed.

3. Toss with gnocchi or pasta, and top with chopped parsley, chive or other herb.

4. Serve immediately, as the sauce will thicken and congeal as it cools.

You can also use this recipe as the base for vegan mac and cheese.

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