Gnocchi al Pomodoro and Zabaglione. November 2011

Here goes a curiosity:

The literal meaning for Pomodoro is "Golden Apple" in Italian. The first tomatoes in Italy were a yellowish color. Today, a food served "al pomodoro" are plates served with tomato sauce. 

Gnocchis are small dumplings most commonly made of potatoes, a touch of flour, eggs and salt. They are best when poached in simmering water and then cooked "au gratin" or "gratinati" with some kind of sauce, such as tomatoes, cream or cheese.

The word Gnocchi is originally Italian and means "lumps", but it is also found in other cuisines such as the Austro-Hungarian and Alsatian cookery, where they are called Knepfle, Knodel, Noques or Quenelles.

My Gnocchi recipe:

Yield about 16 portions

• Potatoes (about 4lb)
• Flour sifted (about 1/2 lb)
• Eggs beaten (about 2)
• Salt (to taste)
• Grated Cheese (to taste)

Procedure:

Clean your potatoes and boil them with their peels on and preferably whole in seasoned water. The peel will protect them from absorbing too much water while cooking.

Test their degree of doneness: 

Pinch a paring knife all the way through their center. It should slide easily in and out. That means they are cooked all the way through. 
Another way of testing their degree of doneness is by picking out a little piece of the potato and with your bench scraper press it and slide it against your counter. If it comes out like a smooth paste, they are done. You should not see well formed grains.

Now removed their skins and puree them. I would suggest using a food mill or a potato masher. This way the finished puree will turn out denser and tighter than when mashed in a mixer.

Mix in a bit of the flour, salt, eggs and cheese. Adjust the dough's consistency according to your desire. 

If you prefer a denser and tighter dough, you will probably want to add more flour and eggs. You can then roll it by hand on a lightly floured surface and cut it into little lumps. Once these are primarily poached you can brown then on the stove top with some butter or olive oil, and served them with your choice of sauce. That Maillard Reaction browning will give it a special extra flavor that will make you dish a lot more delicious.

If you prefer a lighter and fluffier dough, you might want to add just a touch of flour to your potatoes and instead of rolling them out you can put them in a large piping bag with a large hole and pipe each piece while you cut them as the fall into the simmering seasoned water. They may then be finished "gratinati" in the oven with sauce and cheese over them. In this case you shall serve them on the dish where it was oven cooked.

I personally prefer this lighter version of Gnocchi, since the potatoes take on a greater flavor in the dish. It also usually turns out to be a more digestible meal.

Ps: The when your are poaching your Gnocchi, you will know when it is cooked when it floats to the top of the surface.

Pss: I suggest boiling potatoes of significantly different sizes separately because they will have different cooking times.

My Pomodoro Sauce 
Yield 3 qt

• Grape seed oil (or any kind of high smoke point oil)
• 1/2 lb Chopped Onions
• 1/2 lb Chopped Carrots
• 1/2 lb Chopped Celery
• 1 to 2 lb Canned Whole Tomatoes (good quality whole tomatoe or if available, very ripe fresh tomatoes chopped).
• 4 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
• Salt (to taste)
• Black Pepper (to taste)
• Dried Basil Leaves
• Red Wine (to taste)
• Extra Virgin Olive oil (to taste)
• Fresh Basil leaves (to taste)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

Procedure:

Sweat your onions, celery, carrots in your grape seed oil. Add your dried spices. Add your garlic and as soon as looks golden in color add your chopped fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes and add your red wine. Cook until the tomatoes are very soft and saucy. Remove from the heat and add your Extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and finish it off with a touch of grated cheese.

This is the denser type of gnocchi. It was browned with butter and served with the Pomodoro sauce.

Below you will also see a small portion of the "pan seared" gnocchi, some sauteed spinach, the chunky pomodoro and a pureed version of the same pomodoro.

For dessert I served a Zabaglione.

Zabaglione is a light and foamy dessert of Italian origin made by whisking egg yolks, wine and sugar together over a gentle heat. The word is derived from the Neapolitan dialect word "Zapillare", which means "to foam".

The preparation for this dessert is a bit delicate, since the yolks must be whisked and thikened over heat without coagulating. The end result must be very frothy.

Whisked egg whites may be added to the mix after it has been beaten just before serving.

Ps: The term "Sabayon" is also used for a type of Mousseline sauce, usually made with Champagne, served with fish or Shell fish.

Zabaglione

Sabayon Whipped with Marsala and Lemon 

(yield 1 qt)

• 8 Egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of Sugar
• 1 cup Marsala or red wine
• 2 tsp Lemon Zest, finely grated

Procedure

Whisk the yolks and sugar in a copper or stainless steel bowl until they turn a pale yellow color and form a ribbon. Add the Marsala and whisk to combine.

Place the bowl over bain marie and beat the mixture until it is about four times its original volume and quite thick. Fold in the lemon zest.

To serve warm: Immediately pour over sliced fruits or over a white cake or a combination of cake and fruit. You can also serve it "gratinati" by browning its surface under a salamander.

I chose to serve the version below cold and simple because I found its flavor complete without adding any compliments. 


To make it: Once the warm sauce was ready, I placed it in a mold and refrigerated it for 1 day. It became of a thicker consistency and very rich.

You can serve a chilled slice plain and simple as a dessert or add some fresh fruits to accompany it.

I just love the fall...even in November.