Thrifty Recipe- Gnocchi

Romulo Yanes for The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Karen Evans

It's almost the end of the month and will be out of town for part of the week. Another perfect chance to see if I could make it without grocery shopping. (disclosure: I did stop at Target for whole milk, bananas, and bread - with a toddler in the house there are certain things you just can't go without) The following recipe is great for this kind of week. I didn't realize it before I read this article, but in Argentina, gnocchi is served near the end of the month (on the 29th specifically) when people are almost out of money and groceries. My history with gnocchi has always been with Italian food, and it was the first dish I ate when we were in Rome a couple years ago. Little did I know it was also a thrifty Argentinian tradition.

Below is the recipe from the Wall Street Journal. The recommend a sage butter sauce but the two times I have made it I used this sauce recipe from Martha Stewart- Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce.

Gnocchi
From the Wall Street Journal- New World Gnocchi January 29, 2011

Ingredients:

3 large or 6 small Idaho potatoes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
1½ cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Fill a large pan with salted water and bring to a boil.

2. Set up a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.

3. Scrub and dry the potatoes but do not peel them. Microwave on high until soft—the setting and time varies widely by microwave. Allow to cool only enough to be able to handle and peel with a sharp knife.

4. Pass potatoes through a ricer into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt and flour over the potatoes. Add egg.

5. Using hands, knead quickly trying not to overwork the dough. The dough should be slightly on the wet side—though not sticky.

6. Generously flour a work surface and pinch off a small handful of dough. Using both hands, roll it into the shape of a snake. Using a sharp knife, cut into bite size pieces and lay them, separately, on the cookie sheet. Continue until finished.

5.Once water boils, add the gnocchi, a few at a time, to boiling water. Using a skimmer, retrieve the gnocchi as they rise to the surface.

Tomato Sauce for Gnocchi
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes with juice, crushed by hand
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) tomato sauce
2 sprigs basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, flakes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Gnocchi
Thinly shaved parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

1.Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine; cook until most liquid has evaporated. Add tomatoes and juice, tomato sauce, basil, and red pepper flakes.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until slightly thick, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

3.Reheat gnocchi over low heat in sauce; gently toss. Serve with cheese shavings.