Friday, September 10, 2010

holy gnocchi!

okay, so tonight's dinner was a complete success.  and the best part is that it was light, refreshing, and the summer flavors were a perfect complement to a gorgeous day of sunshine and a cool breeze.

i was so, so lucky to have found the woman with the fresh pasta at the farmers market last weekend.  she was so well hidden down a brand new line of vendors that i nearly walked right out of the market without even seeing her.  maybe it was the food gods that spun me around with curiosity and marched me right over to her stand.  and then i spotted the holy grail:  fresh, soft, fluffy gnocchi.  she sold me an entire pound for a mere $5 and, after assuming that i had no idea how to cook these little babies, warned me again and again not to overcook them.  i kindly informed her that gnocchi is one of my all time favorite things in the entire world and that i made them at christmastime with my uruguayan grandmother, thankyouverymuch.  haha, i hope she reads this blog and is satisfied with how i prepared her fresh pasta :]

on the menu tonight was a trip to italy:  my beautiful gnocchi enrobed in the fresh pesto i made earlier (see my post entitled "presto, pesto!"), and a simple tomato and mozzarella salad.  i cant think of a better combination of flavors!  oh, and the entire meal took a scant 15 minutes from fridge to table.

i started by boiling a large pasta pot of water (salted!) for my gnocchi.  while the water boiled, i took the pesto from the fridge and added about 2/3 of a cup to a large bowl and added a few tablespoons of olive oil to loosen it up.  i then grabbed a tomato from the farmer's market and sliced it into fairly thick pieces and halved each one, and sliced some fresh mozzarella into similarly sized pieces.  **note:  here's a great tip for slicing fresh mozzarella--put it in the freezer for five minutes before you are ready to slice it to make it slightly firmer.  This way, using a sharp serrated knife, the cheese will hold together more easily and will cut with much less effort!**  i alternated tomato, cheese, tomato, cheese on a small platter and drizzled the salad with olive oil, salt, and freshly cracked pepper.


once the water came to a boil, i dropped the whole pound of gnocchi right in the pot, stirring once.  your gnocchi will cook slightly differently depending upon its density and freshness, but you'll know its done when the dumplings rise to the top of the water.  once all of the gnocchi are floating, take them out immediately!  this is where the pasta lady warned me not to overcook them, and she is absolutely right.  overcooked gnocchi taste like wallpaper paste.  drain the gnocchi and put them right in to the bowl with the pesto, and stir gently until all the dumplings are coated.  

serve with your favorite wine or sparkling water, put on an italian cd, open the windows for a cool breeze, and you'll totally feel like you're in italy!  



enjoy this delicious dish and enjoy the last tastes of summertime!

1 comment:

  1. kara the gnocchi looks incredible. ahhh yummy in my tummy!

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