Gnocchi Carbonara Coats the Soul

After a long work week, I'm always in the mood to indulge in some good ol' fashioned comfort food.  And because I had a package of John's Ravioli gnocchi (started in Corona, Queens), I wanted to put it to good use and create a homemade sauce to coat its beautiful ridges.  

Spotting an enticing recipe for Gnocchi Carbonara on the Simply Delicious blog, it inspired me to recreate it with my own spin.  Instead of bacon, I substituted in crispy cubes of pancetta that I rendered down, along with a mixture of fat free half and half (I know...that sounds like heresy), eggs and a mixture of romano, asiago and parmesan cheese.  The whole thing took about 15 minutes to make, which was totally awesome, and I just loved watching the sauce turn into thick, creamy, cheesy goodness.  The eggs cooked in a matter of seconds and served as a thickening agent for the already velvety sauce.

Once the sauce was done (less than 2 minutes), I mixed in the gnocchi and let it sit for about a minute or two.  Embellishing this already delightful mixture with some fresh herbs such as freshly chopped parsley is always a good idea.  Fresh basil would be nice too.  Bon appetit, friends!

Gnocchi Carbonara recipe, as adapted from the Simply Delicious blog.

Giano's Sultry Italian Eats

One of my favorite neighborhoods to explore, besides Astoria is the East Village, more or less for the same reasons - diversity and uniqueness of food.  That's why I was delighted to be invited to a press dinner at Giano, a quaint and contemporary Roman restaurant run by two genuine Italians, Paolo Rossi and Matteo Niccoli.

Atmosphere:
I can almost always expect a level of uniqueness and intrigue out of an East Village spot, and Giano is no different.  Located on a delicious block, with other heavy food hitters such as Pylos, Caracas Arepas Bar, Table Verte, Butter Lane and others, Giano is in good company. 

Loving its open air atmosphere, which boasts an open facade and a lovely backyard garden, Giano occupies a cozy, comfortable space.  The inside is modern, with a few rustic touches such as exposed brick walls, wooden wine racks and vintage mirrors, while there's also a few modern elements such as the deep red ropes that separate the front and back of the house.  Our party sat at a long communal table that allowed for a lot of cross chatter and the acoustics were good so you don't feel like you have to shout.

Food:
Appreciating the way the tasting menu was paced, our courses were very much a smorgasbord of the regular dinner menu, just in smaller portions.  I liked the portion control a lot, since in this way, I was able to try everything without getting excessively full.  Here are my stand-outs:

Grass Fed Meatballs - Even though this may appear to be a simple, Italian staple, it was executed really well.  The sauce was rich with a nice amount of acid, and evidently something that was homemade.  I loved the way it permeated the already moist meatball that surrendered upon contact with your fork.

Medieval Pasta - I couldn't stop talking about this dish during and after I ate it, clearly making a big impression on me.  Overall, I think it's the most unique item on the menu and something that should be celebrated.  Consisting of thick homemade spaghetti enveloped in a flavorful lamb ragout, it's every pasta lovers' and carnivores' dream.  A delightful crunch of walnuts that were interspersed throughout the sauce made each bite extra special.

4 Cheese Gnocchi - Another successful rendition for all you carbies out there, the 4 cheese gnocchi was also divine.  Loving the soft, pillowy texture of these potato dumplings, the four tangy cheeses including gorgonzola, parmesan, fontina and ricotta set us over the edge.  Just a little portion of these were enough to satisfy the cheese lover in us.

Cappuccino Dessert - Although the name of this dessert sounds ordinary, it was anything but.  A thoughtfully stacked cup of coffee gelato, paper thin wafer cookies, ricotta cream and cinnamon coffee foam, it made for an elegant nightcap.  The wafer cookies were an especially nice touch of texture that came unexpected.

Service and Cost:
Reflecting its intimate setting, the service was also very personal and welcoming.  Paolo and Chef Matteo spent a lot of time with us, ensuring that they answered all questions and provided their unique commentary about each dish (and wine). I was also glad to see that they graciously accommodated one of our gluten free dining comrades with slightly tweaked versions of each dish.

Costs are wallet friendly and offer a nice option to dine in style without breaking the bank:

Antipasti - $10.95 - $13.95
Pasta - $12.95 - $16.95
Secondi - $19.95 - $22.95
Dessert - $7.95

3 Mmmms

Giano - 126 East 7th Street, New York NY 10009
212.673.7200
L Train to 1st Avenue
www.gianonyc.com

Hurricane Sandy Recipe Guide

Image, courtesy of Kimberly Conon

Ok...so you're stuck inside in this crazy hurricane we're having.  What to do? No...there's no way that I'm encouraging you to go out in this monstrosity, but if you are fully stocked (like my friend Kimberly - see her pantry in the above pic), you can certainly do some cooking.

Without further ado, I've put together a short list of Hurricane friendly foods that will last you for days and comfort you through this storm.  Hope you enjoy them with your loved ones, and if you have any recipes you'd like to share with me, I'm all ears.

Cozy Lamb Apricot Stew - If you have lamb, chicken, beef or any other protein, this is the perfect thing to enjoy and just let cook for a couple of hours.  It keeps well in the freezer and you can enjoy it on its own, with rice, potatoes or any other starch.

Dan's Turkey Meatloaf - Have ground turkey, chicken or beef on hand? This is a great way to use it, and make sure you incorporate tons of fresh veggies such as onions, peppers, garlic and whatever else you like.  A smokey BBQ sauce is a nice accompaniment.  

My Italian Gnocchi Bake - This dish is really easy and quick to make if you have some pre-made or frozen gnocchi in the house, a few different cheeses including ricotta and mozzarella and some marinara too.  If you have pesto already made, that'll do as well.

Chilaquiles - Do you love brunch the Mexican way?  An easy thing to put together is a mixture of fried tortillas, eggs, spicy salsa and your favorite veggies.  There's two ways to do it - to keep the tortillas slightly crispy, like my fried Jess does, or to make 'em all the way soft; the choice is yours.

Minty Pea Soup - Even though this is technically a summer recipe, I think a nice warm soup would be great right about now.  It keeps well in the freezer, and you can make it heartier by tearing big, chunky pieces of pumpernickel bread inside.  Watch them soak up into the broth and just devour.

A Light Turkey Meat Sauce Hits the Spot

For those of you who know me personally can vouch for how much I love hearty foods.  One of my favorite things to eat is pasta with meat sauce, but who are we kidding, we can't eat that way all the time.  The recipe I'll tell you about shortly combines hearty (gnocchi) with light (turkey meat sauce), which I think makes for a great combination.

I got the original recipe from the September edition of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, which actually called for a full fat, ground chuck meat sauce.  Altering it to my liking with a 99% lean turkey version and omitting all that parmesan cheese, it turned out quite well and something we ended up freezing and using for other things such as pizza sauce, hero sauce, pasta sauce and the like.

The sauce was delicious when served fresh but even better when you let it sit for at least a day or two.  Hope you enjoy it during the cold fall/winter months that are up ahead.  Dig in, and do let me know what you think.

Turkey Meat Sauce with Gnocchi recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine

Butternut Squash Gnocchi Bake

At a loss for what to make for dinner the other night, I was racking my brain for something appetizing, easy and kind of healthy too.  A veggie dish came to my head naturally, as I don't cook that much meat at home, and rather turn to a veggie alternative for my weeknight meals.

I decided to make a butternut squash gnocchi bake, as I saw some nice looking (and pre-cut) butternut squash at the supermarket, and the rest of the ingredients I already had on hand, which was great.  And even though gnocchi is far from light, I went heavier on the squash and sauteed it real nice with sweet shallots.  I then topped the whole thing with fresh chopped parsley and tangy gouda cheese.  It was delightful and made for good leftovers.

Fooditka's Butternut Squash Gnocchi Bake

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 package of store bought gnocchi (or you can also do fresh if you have time)
2 cups of cubed butternut squash
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbs of chopped parsley
1/4 cup of shredded gouda cheese
1 1/2 tbs of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet until hot.  Add shallot and sautee until it starts getting golden in color.  Add the butternut squash, salt and pepper and sautee for about 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces get tender and browned on the outside.

In the meantime, make the gnocchi according to the directions on the package.  When they're done and after the squash is cooked, combine the two in a lightly oiled baking dish and put the shredded cheese on top.  Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the top gets golden brown.  Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, and serve warm.

Last Minute Emergency Gnocchi

I had quite the culinary dilemma today, as I got home late from work, had to do more work at home and eat somewhere in between too.  Another issue was that I had absolutely nothing good in the house, and had no time to grab my favorite take-out.  On the verge of being extremely grumpy (no doubt influenced by my hunger), I started to really rack my brain for what we had in the fridge and whether I really could create something out of nothing.  "Tomatoes, blue cheese, garlic, parsley...Hmmm...," it was definitely enough to work with.  I also remembered I had some store bought gnocchi in my pantry that could certainly go well with those ingredients.

I first started to chop my tomatoes, then some red onion I found in the fridge too.  Next came the garlic and wha la, I was on my way to making a homemade tomato sauce.  Getting another idea to further reduce this sauce with good quality red wine that we also had on hand, I created a rich, earthy reduction that tasted like it took hours to prepare (but actually only too about 10 minutes).

Finishing the dish off with crumbled blue cheese, fresh parsley and toasted pepitas, it was really an exceptional surprise.  I was pretty proud of myself to create it on the fly like that, and after the long day I had, I guess I needed some unabashed self-encouragement.  Here's the recipe:

Fooditka's Last Minute Emergency Gnocchi:

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 package of store bought gnocchi (frozen or dry)
2 1/2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet red onion, diced
2 small garlic cloves, diced
Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Handful of crumbled blue cheese
Generous handful of toasted pepitas
1/4 cup of red wine or two generous glugs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook gnocchi according to the directions on the packaging.

Pre-heat a non-stick medium skillet and coat it with olive oil (about 1 1/2 tbs or eyeball it).  Let the oil get really hot and then drop in your onions and garlic.  Let cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes and keep stirring it so it doesn't burn.

Lower the heat and add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt.  Keep stirring occasionally.  Lower the heat and add your wine, letting it reduce for a few minutes (about 5 minutes).

Combine the cooked gnocchi with a little pasta water, if needed to thin it out.  Garnish with fresh parsley, cheese and pepitas, and freshly ground black pepper.

My New Obsessions - Gojee and Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi

I'll start with the first part of my obsession, which is a fabulous site called Gojee I discovered just through browsing through the Google Chrome store.  I simply love it, as first off, it's picture based and is a fabulous aggregation of all different food blogs.  You simply type in the ingredients you're craving, and it does the picking for you.  I was amazed at all the enticing food images it produced when I typed in "arugula" and the one that most immediately caught my eye was one for ricotta & spinach gnocchi (with arugula too, of course).

I clicked on the recipe link, which led me to a lovely blog called "fresh 365."  The recipe not only seemed doable, but was explained in a friendly, approachable way that immediately inspired me to get to work.  If the thought of making your own gnocchi intimidates you, this recipe will no doubt change your tune.  It's not incredibly labor intensive, uses healthy and readily available ingredients, and not to mention it's absolutely superior to the store bought alternative.

As I made a pretty big batch that can feed about 3 or 4 hungry people, I froze most of my gnocchi and ended up cooking it later in the week.  It was a sound approach and a fabulous way to get dinner on the table in about 5 minutes.  Serving it on a bed of fresh spinach (or arugula if you want), I seasoned it simply with olive oil and pepper and put some shredded pecorino cheese on top too.  Delish is an understatement.  Go gojee, thanks for showing me the way!

Recipe for Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi 

Fennel Orange Gnocchi Inspired by Tuscany

As a result of my amazing trip to Tuscany last week, I was inspired to use the cooking knowledge I gained from Pat and translate it to my everyday cooking routine.  This proved pretty fortuitous thus far, as the cooking we practiced in Tuscany was simple and used fresh ingredients, which consisted mostly of produce.  I added in some starch too, for a more filling result, and a dish that was once a salad in Pat's kitchen, turned into a gnocchi variation in mine.

I loved the use of the licoricey fennel in this dish, coupled with sweet, juicy oranges that were cut into bite-sized chunks.  Tweaks were made of course, as I dulled out the sharpness of the fennel by sauteeing it for a few minutes together with garlic, instead of serving it raw, like in the salad.  For some creamy tang, I also added a few crumbles of good quality goat cheese and for the greens, I used fresh basil instead of parsley.

Here's my refurbished recipe:

Fennel Orange Gnocchi a la Foodista by way of Tasty Tuscany

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 package of whole wheat gnocchi (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 whole fennel bulb, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 clove of garlic, pressed or minced
1 fresh orange, cut into bite-sized cubes
A small handful of basil, rolled and then cut into thin pieces
A shake of red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Glug of good marsala wine
Salt to taste

Directions:

Cook gnocchi according to directions.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat.  You can mix in a little bit of butter too if you have it, but use unsalted butter.  Add the garlic and make sure to stir frequently to make sure it doesn't burn.  Add the fennel and mix frequently until it gets a nice golden color (the fennel shouldn't get too soft though).  Incorporate the salt and red pepper flakes and keep mixing for another minute or two.  Then add the marsala wine and turn down the heat so the sauce thickens a bit.

Stir in the gnocchi and a little bit of gnocchi water too, to thin out the sauce, if needed.  Mix in the orange cubes and basil.  Stir well and spoon into bowls.  Crumble the goat cheese on top at the end so it melts in nicely with the still hot gnocchi.  If you don't love goat cheese, you can substitute, pecorino, mozzarella - or any other cheese of your choice.  Buon appetito.