Sweet Potato Sage Gnocchi with Roasted Chesnuts

I think my problem lately is that I am categorizing cooking as a 'chore'. What I realized is that, I haven't been using my creativity....I've just been going through the motions of getting dinner on the table.

Sometimes it's just easy to make my 'go-to' recipes, because I don't even have to think. And since I seem to share a brain with the baby occupying my womb--sometimes it is totally necessary not to have to think if it means getting dinner on the table, period.

But yesterday was different. I grabbed a stack of neglected Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines and flipped through them. I was immediately drawn to the sweet potato gnocchi. I bit my lip, looked at the clock, and started calculating 'time'. How much time do I have...and how much time does this stuff take? And ......am I INSANE?

Rewind a few years ago when I attempted to make gnocchi. Me: so naive and excited to do it. I spent 2 hours preparing it....only to end the night crying on my kitchen floor like a baby when the little gnocchi's completely dissolved in the pot while cooking into a wet mashed potato mess. (I know this seen may seem familiar to MANY of you, especially if you saw "Julie and Julia". I was in tears of laughter during the seen where Julia was crying on her kitchen floor after dropping a chicken...because that has been me. Several times.)

I am not oblivious to mishaps in the kitchen. But, I can't live in fear of trying things that I have failed. And I certainly cannot live in fear of making homemade pasta forever. To be honest, I have been telling myself for months to try it again. Ever since we were in Italy this past May I've been craving homemade gnocchi. (Its basically what I ordered at every restaurant in every flavor, shape, size)

Sweet potato gnocchi, Lake Maggiore, Italy

So I reasoned with myself. SOMEONE knows how to make gnocchi. Not EVERY recipe is going to be a bust or it wouldn't get published. Besides what did I really have to lose, if its a total disaster, I would just order a pizza.


The reality of gnocchi:
1. It's very cheap to make--potatoes, flour, and egg...'nuff said.
2. It's very much like playing with play-dough. Who doesn't like to play with their food?
3. Surprisingly it doesn't make a huge mess--it can be contained to a sheet pan.
4. Once rolled, uncooked gnocchi can be frozen for later use--for a SUPER quick dinner.
5. IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!!


The gnocchi verdict:
The end result was a perfectly moist tender gnocchi. The hint of sage and nutmeg was the perfect fall flavor. And chestnut? Wonderful. Its something I have never tried and amazed I have waited this long. (Although I did have 3 people at my local market hunting them down for me).


My personal tips:
1. Keep an eye on the boiling pot of gnocchi. Mine didn't need 3 minutes to cook, it probably took half that time. Just wait for them to float to the top. Then scoop them out.

2. Use a good quality unsalted butter. If you can find an unsalted European butter such as Plugura, Irish butter etc, the taste will be so much better. The butter sauce is the star of the show--so be sure to use a good quality ingredient. (Always buy unsalted butter--salted butter as a general rule is a lesser quality product. Companies use the salt to mask impurities in the butter and taste. You can always add salt later).

3. I added a tablespoon of cream...just for added flavor.


Check out this fool proof recipe from Gourmet. I am so sad to see the magazine close!


Process of gnocchi:

A Return From Italy and a Roasted Red Pepper Polenta

Now that I have returned from my whirlwind tour of Italy, I think it’s now my duty to share some great Italian recipes with you!

First and foremost on my ‘to do’ list is to learn how to make handmade pasta. I have had this on my list for MONTHS and still have yet to just buckle down in the kitchen one day and get to it. For now, you will have to settle for my newest favorite dish, polenta.

I didn’t grow up on polenta. In fact, I never even knew what it was up until a few years ago. I thought it looked so good when I saw cooks make it on the food network so I tried it. I didn’t like it.

But eventually, after trying it at a fabulous restaurant near my house, I began to really love it. I think my problem was using plain corn meal. Nothing against plain ol’ cornmeal (It makes a mean corn bread) but it’s just not my choice for polenta. I can’t figure out why…they really are basically the same thing!

Regardless, after purchasing a bag that said ‘polenta’ grain on it, I instantly fell in love with this ancient Italian peasant dish.

So here you are—straight from Northern Italy…

P.S. I'll try to post more pictures of Italy soon.

Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore Italy

Roasted Red Pepper Polenta
Serves: 2 as a side dish

½ cup polenta grain
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup fontina cheese or gruyere, shredded and divided
¼ cup roasted red peppers, diced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
½ teaspoon fleur de sel or any fine sea salt
Olive oil

Directions:
Bring milk and half and half to a simmer. Add Fleur de sel. Then add polenta in a steady stream while whisking. Cover and cook on low stirring the mixture frequently for about 6-10 minutes (depending on which grains you buy—mine cook in this time frame). Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, and cheese (reserve a bit for garnish). Then stir in the roasted red peppers. Top with toasted pine nuts, cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.