Gnocchi

 How to Make POTATO GNOCCHI

INGREDIENTS: For the dough: 1kg/35,2 oz potatoes 300g/ 10,5 oz plain flour 1 egg For the sauce: EVOO Carrot (chopped into small cubes) Onion (chopped into small cubes) Celery Basil Sea salt Tomato METHOD: To start making Gnocchi peel the potatoes and boil them for about 10 minutes, until they are nice and soft Vincenzo’s tip: This is the most important step in the recipe! Don’t over boil the potatoes or they won’t be the right consistency for gnocchi. Once boiled, strain them and squash them through the potato masher. Then spread the potatoes out slightly on the wooden board using a fork, so they can cool down. Vincenzo’s tip: it is very important to make gnocchi when the potatoes are at room temperature, don’t make the mistake to make them when they’re still hot. While the potatoes cool down it’s time to start making the sauce by putting a saucepan on the stove filled with a nice amount of EVOO. Then put the carrot and onion previously cut into the pan too. Once the carrot and onion are cooked, add the tomato with a couple of basil leaves, celery and sea salt and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Now, while the tomato sauce is cooking, go back to the potatoes which have now cooled down, and make a well in the middle of them, before cracking an egg into it. Start mixing the egg with the potatoes first, (using a fork or your hands) and then add the flour, just a small amount at a time, and mix it through by beginning to knead the dough. Massage it as much as possible until you get the right consistency. Vincenzo’s tip: Add extra flour if you feel that the dough is too soft – just not too much at a time! Once you’re happy with the consistency, you should have been able to create the form of what looks like a large single gnocchi! Cut a small portion of the potato gnocchi dough and, using the palms of your hands, roll it out, back and forth into a long coil. Using a knife, start cutting the coil in small pieces, on a diagonal – this will give you Nonna’s shape! As you roll out and cut your gnocchi, always leave the dough covered underneath a large bowl, so it doesn’t dry out. The potato gnocchi should be put into a flat tray, covered with flour at the bottom so they don’t stick. Add a sprinkle of flour to the top of the gnocchi once they are added into the tray. Repeat steps 11- 15 until you finish using all of your dough. Now it’s time to cook them! Bring about 5L of water to boil in a large pot and add a sprinkle of rock salt. Gently drop the gnocchi in making sure not to stir them or you might squash them! Once gnocchi have risen to the top, wait about 1 1/2 minutes and then strain them using a large colander. Nonna Igea’s tip: If you are making a large batch, when they have all risen up, turn off the stove and add a glass (or two) of cold water, so that the gnocchi don’t become too soft before being strained!

CANNELLONI with Spinach and Ricotta

 INGREDIENTS:

Crepes (these can be prepared by viewing Crepes in Vincenzo’s Basics )
Béchamel Sauce (also in: Vincenzo’s Basics)

400g - 600 fresh ricotta
1 egg
A small portion of fresh parsley (chopped finely)
A small portion of fresh Italian basil
2 bottles of Italian passata (for tomato sauce)
3 thick slices of provolone cheese cut into small cubes
¼ onion (chopped finely)
2 branches of celery
3 cubes of frozen spinach or 150g (cooked and strained, making sure there is no water left inside)
2 carrots peeled and cut in half
A handful of dry mixed herbs
A pinch of cinnamon
Two pinches of rock salt
Extra virgin Olive Oil
Fresh parmesan
1 glass of water

UTENSILS:

1 x medium saucepan
1 x medium sized mixing bowl
1 x fork
1 x table spoon
1 x large serving spoon
1 x pyrex or Bessemer tray (whichever you prefer)

METHOD:

STEP ONE – TOMATO SAUCE
1. Let’s start with the sauce. Get a medium size saucepan and put it onto the stove at a medium heat, adding 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the finely chopped onions.
2. Stir regularly until they brown (normally this takes a couple of minutes).
3. Now add the passata and stir it in with the onions.

TIP: It’s always good to make a little extra and if you have any left over, you can keep this in the freezer until you wish to use it again, remembering you can add other vegetables and ingredients later as this is just a basic sauce.

4. It’s now time to help strengthen the flavour of your sauce by adding fresh herbs and vegetables.
5. First, add parsley and basil, then add the carrots.
6. Now, get your two branches of celery and break off the heads. Then break the celery in half using your hands if you like, and put them into your sauce as well.
7. It is important that you add the celery so don’t leave it out. The flavour it adds to your pasta sauce cannot be replaced!
8. Add 2 ½ pinches of rock salt for added flavour, and stir.

9. My secret ingredient is now the dried mixed herbs. Add 2 pinches to the sauce and continue to stir. The smell will be mouth-watering!
10. Lastly, add a glass of water to the sauce and stir it once again.
11. The sauce needs to simmer on a medium high heat for around 40 minutes with the lid on. Remember to check on and stir the sauce every 5-8 minutes so the tomato does not stick to the bottom.

STEP TWO – THE FILLING

1. Put the ricotta into a mixing bowl and break it down with a fork.
2. Add your spinach to the ricotta filling, making sure it is strained so well that there is not even a tiny bit of water left (as this can completely ruin your dish!).
3. Using the fork once again, mix your spinach through, pressing down until you see bits of green all throughout the ricotta.
4. Sprinkle two pinches of salt into the ricotta and mix once again.

3. Add a pinch of cinnamon (I know this sounds crazy, but it is the perfect combination with ricotta).
4. Grate some fresh parmesan on top to your liking and mix it in also
5. Now, for the egg. Crack it open and drop it in. Beat the egg into the mixture and make sure you press down with a fork so that it disappears but helps to bind all the ingredients together.

STEP THREE – PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!

1. Remove the sauce from the stove as it should now be ready.
2. Take the lid off and take in the wonderful smell! You should have a tiny taste test but make sure you cool it down first- it is simply devine!
3. Preheat your oven at 180degrees.
4. Now, take one crepe, and place it in the middle of your tray. Get a spoonful of ricotta mixture and put it on one side of the crepe, not right on the edge, just off centre.

Pannekoeken

 

Ingrediënten

• 2 el arachideolie
• 70 g suiker
• ½ l melk
• 4 eieren
• 200 g bloem
• 20 g boter