Last week, I hinted that I'd share with you a great recipe for making homemade gnocchi. I wanted to make good on that promise and provide you with a helpful recipe (and some video instruction too) to transform you into a master gnocchi-maker. I learned to make the ever-so-intimidating gnocchi at the New York Culinary Experience, and had the best instructor in the world, Chef Marco Canora. It was a pleasure learning from this culinary master and even though I won't lie and tell you that making gnocchi is easy, it can certainly be done with everyday simple tools. All you need is potatoes, flour, some strong hands and a nice, big flat surface for rolling out dough. Once you get into it and commit, you'll find yourself succeeding, and on top of that, you'll have a great time. And when you taste your fresh gnocchi, you won't ever want to go back to the packaged product. In case you need ideas on how to pair it, the braised rabbit stew that I introduced last week is a perfect accompaniment.Homemade Gnocchi - as taught by Chef Marco Canora:
Ingredients:3 large russet (Idaho) potatoes, scrubbedFreshly ground white pepper1 egg yolkAbout 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
About 4 tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced1 tbs chopped fresh sage
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake them until they are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. While they are still hot, cut all of the potatoes in half lengthwise - you want to create as much surface area as possible so the steam billows out.
Scoop the potatoes out of the skins and into a fine-holed ricer. Pass them through the ricer onto a large clean work surface - use your counter top or kitchen table. Using the end of a large metal kitchen spoon, spread the potatoes into an even rectangle, about 24" x 12".
Season the potatoes generously with white pepper. When they are no longer hot to the touch, almost room temperature, beat the egg yolk. Then drizzle the yolk over the potatoes; measure 1 1/4 cups flour and sprinkle over the potatoes.
Using a pastry scraper, cut the flour and egg into the potatoes, chopping and then turning the mixture in on itself and folding it over, until everything is well mixed and the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Bring the mixture together into a ball.
Sprinkle a scant 1/4 cup flour on the work surface. Place the dough on the flour and press down, flattening it into a disk with both hands. Dust the dough with another scant 3/4 cup of flour. Using your hands, fold and press the dough until the flour is incorporated. Add 2 dustings of flour to the work surface and dough and repeat. If the dough still feels tacky, repeat once more, this time covering both the table and the dough with no more than 2 tbs of flour. You can also watch this video of Chef Marco demonstrating the fold and press technique.
Roll the dough into a compact log. Dust the outside with flour, and then allow the dough to rest for about 5 minutes. Dust the surface lightly with flour. Divide the log into 8 pieces. Roll each section into a cylinder about 1/2" thick. Watch this video of Chef Canora showing how to roll out the gnocchi dough. Using a floured knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into gnocchi about 1" long.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Working in 2 or 3 batches, drop the gnocchi into the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until they float, about 2-3 minutes. Retrieve the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and put them on a baking sheet or plate.
While the gnocchi cook, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage and season with salt and black pepper. Allow the butter to brown slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the gnocchi to the browned butter and remove the pan from the heat. Mix gently and served topped with Parmigiano.
I'm sure you've noticed the peppering of recipes from my recent New York Culinary Experience weekend. The recipes and their final products were just too good not to share with you, so here's another one: a recipe for braised rabbit stew with nicoise olives and rosemary.
Learning how to make this dish in Chef Marco Canora's class, it introduced me to a lot of new techniques, including how to break down a rabbit. Of course you don't have to do this at home and can substitute the rabbit with something more common such as chicken, lamb, pork or even beef. But the rabbit was really something special. The meat was strong in flavor yet tender in texture and after it was all cooked, it had the most deliciously fragrant broth that resembled a hearty stew.
This dish is excellent for cold fall and winter nights and goes well with any kind of starchy side such as potatoes, white or brown rice or even homemade gnocchi, which we made in class. More about that next time...
Rabbit Stew with Nicoise Olives and Rosemary (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 small rabbits, cut into 10 pieces each (you can substitute with other protein of your choice)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 7 tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1 medium onion, peeled and minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 celery stalk, minced
2 tbs of tomato paste
1 bunch of rosemary sprigs, tied together
About 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of Nicoise olives, pitted if desired
Directions:
Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet, about 3 tbs, over medium high heat. Working in batches, brown the rabbit pieces, about 3 minutes on each side, then set aside in a bowl.
When all of the meat is browned, add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the fond (browned bits) with a wooden spoon. Allow the wine to simmer for a minute or two, then pour it over the browned rabbit and reserve.
Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 4 tbs of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Fry the soffritto (onion, carrots, celery), stirring frequently and adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent burning, until the vegetables soften and color, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and rosemary. Stir to coat the vegetables until the paste darkens, about 5 minutes.
Return the rabbit and the wine to the pan, lower the heat to medium, and stir to mix. Cook the rabbit, stirring occasionally, until its juices release, about 10 minutes.
Add enough broth to come a little less than halfway up the rabbit pieces, about 2 cups. Simmer the rabbit partially covered, turning it in the pan and basting it occasionally, until the pan is almost dry, about 15 minutes. Add more broth, about 1 cup, and continue simmering and basting the rabbit, adding a little broth whenever the pan looks dry (expect to add 1/2 cup about every 15 minutes). Stew until the rabbit is almost tender, about 1 hour.
Flip the rabbit pieces over and add the olives. Continue adding the broth a little at a time and simmer until the rabbit is fully tender, about 15 minutes more (if the meat pulls easily from the leg bone the rabbit is done). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 more minutes to allow the seasoning to permeate. Serve warm in shallow bowls.
This past weekend, I had the immense honor of being part of the 3rd Annual New York Culinary Experience, organized by New York Magazine and the French Culinary Institute. I respect both institutions and had high hopes for the event, which proved to be a wonderfully interactive learning experience that entailed lots of interaction with top culinary talent and a great opportunity for networking with peers. The roster of cooking classes was impressive and the the caliber of chef talent teaching these was the cherry on this already rich sundae. Each person got to participate in 4 interactive classes (2 per day) as well as 2 Q&A luncheons with renowned culinary leaders from all walks of life.
In addition to learning a lot valuable cooking and baking skills, I was also intrigued to have prime access to the chefs, which we foodies consider to be highly revered celebrities. Though truly fascinating and respectable, I saw a common thread that connected us all at the core - our immense and intense love of food.
Day 1:
I arrived eagerly and slightly unsure of what to expect, rushing off to my first class, Autumn in Italy taught by Babbo Pastry Chef, Gina DePalma. I've read quite a lot about Chef Gina and felt as if I already knew her through the vivid description I read in the book, Heat by Bill Buford. Here's what I got out of the class:
Autumn in Italy by Chef, Gina DePalma - Chef Gina's class was invigorating and highly ambitious. She introduced us to three new rustic Italian desserts that I've never tried making or eating for that matter. She demoed everything before we got to it and it was fun watching her in action, as she offered tons of vivacious commentary infused with her sarcastic humor. People were really into it and interacted with her by asking questions and her personal opinion on various baking matters.
We made 3 desserts including a rustic apple, fig and almond cream crostata, a spicy chestnut cake called Castagnaccio and finally, Mostarda, a very unique pear syrup reduced in mustard seed oil that's delicious when served on top of cheese. I'll post the recipes for all these goodies at a later time.
Hearth Classics by Chef, Marco Canora - I found the afternoon class taught by Chef, Marco Canora of Hearth and Terroir even more enlightening. Before meeting Chef Marco, I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with him and his cuisine. But it didn't take long for his electric personality to make a lasting impression. Besides being a talented Chef, Marco has a knack for teaching. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class with him, I'd highly suggest it because he's clear in his instruction, breaks down complex skills into easier tasks and engages with his audience on a deep level. I think it's safe to say that by the end of the class, we were all Marco converts and have probably made our Open Table reservations for one of his restaurants.
The two things we made with Chef Marco were homemade gnocchi and a braised rabbit stew. I personally benefited from both dishes because I'm a huge gnocchi lover and have been meaning to make them from scratch. And in terms of the rabbit...well learning how to break down this delicious animal was a good skill to learn and knowing how to cook it appropriately was useful too. The sauce we made with the rabbit stew can be done with any other protein too, making the recipe very adaptable. Again...I'll post the recipe specifics at a later time.
Here are 3 videos of Chef Marco prepping the dough for the gnocchi:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Day 2:
After a successful first day, I couldn't wait to see what day 2 had in store. I was taking an Australian Cuisine class in the morning with Chef, Shaun Hergatt of SHO Shaun Hergatt and then a pastry class focusing on the uses of brown butter with Le Bernadin's pastry Chef, Michael Laiskonis. Experimenting with brown butter in desserts...need I say more?
Australian Cuisine with Chef, Shaun Hergatt - Even though I'm not a complete novice when it comes to Australian food, I've been more exposed to comfort pub food rather than sophisticated cuisine. Chef Shaun's class was the perfect outlet for learning more about Australian fruit and spices that elevate an ordinary dish to the next level.
Everyone seemed to really enjoy Chef Shaun's class and although he started off very serious, he warmed up quickly. I loved all the personal attention he gave to each student by walking around, critiquing, tasting and in some cases (like ours) correcting. His manner was friendly and easy going but at the same time, you knew he meant business. I appreciated his devotion to his art and I learned a lot of useful techniques.
The two things we made in Chef Shaun's class were Ocean Trout in Kalamansi dressing and Wattleseed ice-cream. Both use unusual ingredients that we're unfamiliar with in the States, but it was fun to try new flavor combinations that awoke our senses. The Ocean Trout was actually a tartare, which I've never made before. It was challenging and precise and by the end of the class, I felt like a pro, with my beautifully formed tartare round with bright orange roe on top. I was proud of myself to work up such a complex dish and might even try it at home.
The Allure of Brown Butter with Pastry Chef, Michael Laiskonis - Naturally loving all food with butter, the topic of this class spoke to me. I was excited to meet Chef Laiskonis, who was very organized and methodical. A very thorough individual, he had a map of everything that we'd cover in class on PowerPoint slides. I had to giggle to myself when I saw this because I sort of felt like I was at work, only covering a way more interesting topic. My only criticism of Chef Laiskonis' class is that he wasn't as interactive with the students as the other chefs had been. He relied more on the French Culinary Institute volunteers and chefs to help us, which was fine, but a bit less exciting.
Chef Michael's agenda was also ambitious, as we made 4 desserts including two types of Financier cookies (my favorite of the day and pictured above) including brown butter and pistachio. I just loved the color of the pistachio cookies and we all agreed that they had more flavor. The other two items we practiced was making a brown butter ice cream base and also roasted white chocolate that we made from scratch. Very cool and super indulgent - almost like dulce de leche.
Overall, the New York Culinary Experience was a memorable weekend that taught me to further appreciate the simplicity and craftsmanship of great food and the amazing culinary geniuses that make it happen.
To view pictures from this year's event, check out NYCE's FB page.
