Play Dough for grown-ups!

I love cooking, no, make that  I adore cooking! It's the most relaxing thing I can do. After having a family of 4 children I still find it a challenge to cook for only 2 of us, luckily my mother in law and sister in law are grateful recipients of my over catering!

Anyway while my hubby is busy getting ready for his final week of his diploma  study, I have had plenty of free time to while away in the kitchen. So I thought I would share with you my way of making gnocchi.

I must confess up front that I am not that fussed about measuring ingredients, I work more on the look and feel of things.

Ingredients: This will serve about 4 - 6 people.

6- 8 Sebago potato's
2 eggs
Plain flour
pinch of salt

I like to boil the potato's the day before with their skin on and then let them cool and the next day you can just peel off the skin really easily. After they are peeled I put them through a mouli or food mill. DON'T USE A FOOD PROCESSOR ( JUST TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!) I find it better to sift the flour and put some on the bench before the potato, and then as the pile of potato builds up I just add more sifted flour until all the potato's are gone.

Then make a well and add 2 eggs ( best to have them at room temperature) and then mix with your hands, add a pinch of salt and more flour as you need to:  the goal is for the mixture to  become like a dough.

Now the fun bit :-) you get to play with the dough just like in kindergarten. Take a handful at a time of dough and roll out into a long sausage shape ( see, I told you it was fun!)
when you  have it rolled out I pinch a portion of the dough and cut it with a sharp knife. You can make the gnocchi as big or little as you wish. Then place on a floured surface.

 

Here's how much I made today: 2 trays this size.

then in a large saucepan boil the water and when boiling place the gnocchi a handful at a time ( not too many or they may stick together) they will rise to the surface and sit there when they are cooked

I like to baste them after they are all done in a little EVOO and butter to add some extra flavour and then you can serve with any type of sauce you like, my favourites are: a simple tomato, basil and garlic home made sauce, burnt butter and sage and quattro formaggi! Ah Delicious!

Well I don't know about you but this looks too good to just leave sitting there so bon appetit!