March 20, 2020
Looking through the outdoor fridge today I found a few parsnips that were still nice and crisp after a couple of weeks in near zero temperature. I peeled a couple into ribbons for a rice and lentil dish I was making and thought I’d make gnocchi with the rest. Parsnip are starchy vegetable but for some reason they work fine mixed in a food processor. I made the entire gnocchi dough in the food processor... View Article
June 24, 2017
Sometimes when I make gnocchi I leave them smooth and pillowy instead of pressing them against a gnocchi board or a fork to create ridges. I know that traditionally gnocchi have ridges where the sauce can cling and settle in the grooves, but it’s also okay to leave them smooth, like little pillows. I make gnocchi often, being the starch lover that I am, and I have a few different ways to serve them. One... View Article
April 3, 2017
What’s the story with gnocchi? If you ask two Italians how to make gnocchi, you are likely to get three strongly held opinions. What kind of potato to use, bake or boil them, add an egg or never with an egg, all purpose flour, semolina, or “00” flour, add salt or no salt and so it goes. You get the picture. Essentially, gnocchi are light and fluffy dumplings typical of northern Italy (dare I say?),... View Article
April 30, 2016
So what do you think foodies do late at night? message each other about foodie things, of course. Last night my friend Laura was asking Val and I on our group chat where she could buy sweet potato gnocchi in town, so I sent her my gnocchi recipe. Not that I don’t buy gnocchi sometimes, I do, but they are never as good as when you make them at home. The flavour and texture is... View Article
October 14, 2015
The Okanagan Wine Festival has just ended and as usual there were many events that I attended with my friend My friend Val of More than Burnt Toast. Mid week we piled into the Hummer and drove to Penticton for a wild mushroom and pinot noir tasting offered at the new Wine Information Society Sensory Centre at the Penticton Campus of Okanagan College. It’s about an hour drive from Kelowna but Val and I are... View Article
September 23, 2015
I have had a couple of dinners out this week and both times selected the gnocchi dishes on the menu. One of these was at Waterfront Wines, probably my choice for top restaurant in Kelowna. Chef Mark Filatow works his magic in the kitchen and it’s always special to go there. The dish I ordered was not called gnocchi, it was described as house made ricotta cavatelli with grana padano and sage brown butter and... View Article
May 29, 2014
I haven’t written about gnocchi for while and need to correct that right now. I sometimes make my own gnocchi and you can find the method for making it described in previous posts here and here. I have also posted a couple of delicious recipe a while back: one for gnocchi with sage butter and parmesan and the other for a delicious sweet potato gnocchi with corn and cream. I have to make that one again... View Article
April 10, 2014
I started a photography course that promises to be very good and a lot of work. When I registered for the two classes, part of a professional course in photography, I only thought of the 6 hours a week of class time but forgot about homework and assignments for each of the two classes, due every week. We’ll see how it goes, it sounds like more work than I bargained for but it’s a good... View Article
April 13, 2012
A simple dish of white potato Gnocchi tossed with butter, sage and Parmesan. To add a touch of colour I still chop up a bit of flat leaf parsley for garnish. When making this recipe for just two people I use half to make the gnocchi with sage and Parmesan and freeze the other half, uncooked, to use another day. Ingredients: 1 recipe gnocchi made with white skinned potatoes 3 tablespoons butter 4-5 sage leaves,... View Article
April 13, 2012
Here is a recipe for basic potato gnocchi. Some gnocchi recipes call for russet (baking) potatoes, some for white skinned ones. I prefer regular boiling potato variety. You do need the potato ricer though. It helps mash or rice the potatoes into perfect texture for making the gnocchi. See image in the general entry about gnocchi and under the kitchen Gear tap above. Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb. potatoes (about 2-3 potatoes, depending on the type... View Article
April 13, 2012
Every culture has its dumpling and they form an integral part of their peasant cuisine. They are inexpensive to make, hearty, filling and bring home cooked comfort to your palate and your soul. Jewish mazzo ball soup is made with mazzo ball dumplings (kneidlach), Hungarians make their delicious spatzle, grated directly over a pot of boiling water, Chinese have their pot stickers, Ukrainians their perogies and Italians have their gnocchi. All these little treasures begin... View Article
