Spring is just now visiting us that live in the mid-Atlantic region, so we're ready to start up our garden. Of course, if you live in a rowhouse, a garden consists of planters and hanging pots anywhere from the back patio to the roof. Any available space that CAN be used, SHOULD be used.
That being said, tomatoes are something that we still have to buy right now. Heather decided to surprise me with a couple of 6 lb. cans of Italian tomatoes a few weeks ago. One of those mammoth-sized cans contained San Marzano tomatoes (I think she wants me to make pizza). But I decided to open the plum tomatoes and make a homemade sauce. Six pounds of tomatoes will go a long way, so I went into the basement to grab a few empty jars (I don't throw away any type of re-useable container). In the end, I had a jar and a half of pasta sauce, 2 jars of tomatoes left for later use, and about 2 cups of tomato juice that will probably become part of a homemade barbecue sauce later this week. I don't waste anything I don't have to.
Since there wasn't much to watch on TV tonight, my wife decided to watch "Black Swan" on demand. That gave me an excellent idea. I won't have to watch it if I stay in the kitchen and make gnocchi. I learned about a new trick to that recipe anyway, so I gave it a shot.
Needless to say, both recipes worked out so here they are!
Tomato Sauce
1 carrot, quartered
1 stalk of celery, quartered
1/4 c. onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 c. canned whole plum tomatoes
1 tbsp. chopped basil
1 tbsp. chopped oregano
1 tsp. salt
Place the roughly cut carrots, celery, and onion into the food processor. After a few pulses, you should have a roughly chopped vegetable mixture.
In a suitably sized saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic for 30 seconds to a minute. Add the vegetable mixture and saute for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, and add the tomatoes.
Season with the basil, oregano, and salt. Using a potato masher or other similar divice, crush the whole tomatoes until they are chunky.
When the desired temperature is reached, pour the sauce into a container for storage. After it is cool, place in the refrigerator.
Gnocchi
2 large russet potatoes
1/2 c. all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
I learned that microwaving the potatoes, rather than boiling them, reduces their moisture content. That means using less flour, resulting in a lighter dumpling. The cooked potatoes were hard to peel, so it might be good to peel them first. Stab them a few times with a fork and microwave them on a medium setting for about 20 minutes. Let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
I don't have a ricer yet (it's on my wish list), so I mashed them with a fork. Add the half cup of flour and the beaten egg and work the dough with a spatula or your hands until you get a just-less-than-sticky consistency.
Spread a light layer of flour down and toss the dough around until it forms a uniform ball. Roll it into a log and cut into 4 equal sections. Roll each section into a snake (about 1/2 inch in diameter) and cut off half inch to inch-sized pieces. Hand roll each into a ball and set aside. When all the dough has been processed, roll each dough ball across the tines of a fork to create ridges in the dumpling (it helps the sauce stick).
The dumplings then get tossed into a pot of boiling salted water. When they float, transfer them to a bowl of cold water. This allows extra starches to rinse off rather than create a sticky layer on the dumplings. Strain them and place them in a bowl.
From here, either place them in the refrigerator for later or toss them in a hot skillet in olive oil. You can go the butter and herb route, but I decided to add in my newly made tomato sauce. They were so light and fluffy that they almost literally melted in my mouth.
It takes time to make gnocchi, but it's fun to do and the result is better than what you get at the store. Have a great time with it and let me know how it turns out!
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