a SUPERGAY VODKA SAUCE

I have been carrying this recipe in a journal since 2005. I started working on this while I lived in Australia and by looking through my journal, it was the first day I went to ALL my classes haha. I was watching Desperate Housewives this night and making gnocchi all vodka.

Since living in Australia, I have been making this same recipe

I paired this one with SuperGay Vodka, because it’s queer owned, organic, and batched in upstate New York. Love the founders - this one is for you Aaron.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup vodka (obvi needed for this)

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup canned tomato paste

• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes (28oz), drained + cut into rough pieces

• 1/2 lb Bacon or Pancetta, diced

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed

• 3/4 cup Locatelli or finely grated parmesan

• Salt + Pepper to taste

• 1 lb of Pasta - penne recommended, but choose your journey

• 1/4 Fresh Basil, chopped

Sauté bacon in medium pot. Render till crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside in bowl for later. In ‘pot-o-gold’ with bacon fat, add diced onion. Cook until translucent, above 5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook another minute or so, be careful not to overcook garlic. Sh*t browns real quick. Just cook enough to make fragrant. Add butter. I just love the texture butter adds to this. It’s totally not needed, but it makes the sauce more “velvety.” Once butter is melted, add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook another 5 minutes or so, stirring often to meld flavors.

Add Vodka to pan. Bring to a simmer for 6-10 minutes or so. Cooking off the alcohol. Add the heavy cream, stir. This will give you the gorgeous pink-ish color you are looking for. Heat till simmering a bit. Stir in cheese + basil. Stir. Carefully taste. Add salt + pepper. You will know when the sauce is ready. It’s going to stick to the back of your spoon and be right where you want it.

I love salt, so I will always add more salt. You could add crushed red pepper into the sauce now, or just let peeps add at the table.

Cook pasta per instructions on box. There is no magic here. I like my pasta al dentè, so I tend to undercook pasta for more bite.

Add cooked Pasta to sauce, stir. This is pretty sexual. It should be. You are adding pasta to sauce to coat. I want the pasta dripping in sauce. It’s so good.

Serve. Eat.

DUTCH BABY's - The Mormon Way

I have been on a mission (Mormon pun), to find a dutch baby recipe that is a keeper. My partner Marc grew up on a farm in Idaho with 11 siblings, 11…Mormon family. Can you imagine having to cook for a dozen people every meal? No thanks. However, it brings me amazing tested recipes, which are more than comforting.

A cast iron skillet is ideal for this, but you can use another oven-safe skillet as well. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, I highly recommend investing in one or two, or four. I use them for everything and they will outlive any other pan you have.

Recipe makes (1) dutch baby, I usually double it, because I am always cooking for more than 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1 teaspoons kosher salt

• 6 large eggs

• 6 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 425° F with cast iron skillet inside. This is important step as it will allow for the soufflé like texture you will create.

Mix all ingredients except the butter, in a blender. Don’t waste your time doing this in a bowl. It’s just so easy to throw all in a blender. It also gives it nice whipped texture as well that will really ensure you get a nice fluffy baby.

Once oven is preheated, carefully take out the skillet and add butter. Make sure its melted and then slowly pour batter into pan. Place back in oven.

Bake 20 minutes, till puffy + golden.

Serve with syrup.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

One from Mom’s archives. I don’t even care where she got the recipe, because to me, these are hers. Just the right amount of baking time is ideal. You want them crisp, but you don’t want to break a tooth. Make sure to watch these bake and you’re looking for golden brown finished product. Oven temps will vary.

I never made these before now, so texted Fran for the recipe. I needed to keep tradition going by tested new cookies the weekend post Thanksgiving. Its always a good time to work out the kinks before the real cookie season starts.

My first batch was a dud. It was a massacre. My logs were too much log. I underbaked them on the first round and then when I went to cut them, they crumbled. I modified my method a bit - I tried to get into Fran’s head, WWFD (what would Fran do). I should have just called her, but had a good feeling about my tweaks.

I added a little more sugar on round 2 and also switched from unsalted butter to salted. I am sold on these.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (softened)

• 1 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure Almond Extract

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Mix in the almond extract.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios

Divide the dough in half and shape into two 12-by-2-inch logs. Place on a silicon or parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten a bit. This will help with even baking and also make it easier to slice later.

Bake until just golden around the edges and firm to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300° F. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into ½-inch-thick slices. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake until dry and crisp, approx. 15 minutes per side.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks

SOME GRANDMA's CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

"Biscotti," is Italian for "Twice Baked." And there you go, thats the recipe :)

Haha. I imagine someone's grandma in Italy is putting these out with some espresso or "demitasse" as it was called in our house growing up. I had to google demitasse to learn it's the French word for "half-cup." Have to love Italians using a French word - mind blown. I don't even know if my childhood was real now.

Ingredients

Makes at least (2) dozen, I tend to cut them thinner these days, so get more out of them.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Flavor Variations:

• Chocolate Orange - add 2 tsp Orange Extract in when beating eggs and stir in 1 cup diced candied orange peel

• Matcha - stir in 2 TBLS of matcha powder with dry ingredients

• Super Italian with Anise - 1 teaspoon ground anise seed added w/ dry ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use silicone mat (Silpat,etc). In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using an hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Form the dough into (2) horizontal logs on baking sheet - around 16" long and 2"-3" wide. I tend to form into log on baking sheet, then roll a bit with hands to form log. Spreading out till you get desired length. These tend to puff a bit and widen as they bake. So think about flatting the log a bit if you want that type of biscotti. Get wild haha.

4. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.

5. Place the logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the cookies cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely.

MOM'S STUFFED MUSHROOMS

These were always a constant at family holidays. I remember not liking them as a kid, until I learned they were stuffed with breadcrumbs and cheese. Then I finally tried one and there was no going back. I was even more shocked when I learned the filling also contained the diced up mushroom stems. I have seen plenty of recipes that discard the stems and I am not sure why, they make the filing so f*cking good. Thank you mom for making mushrooms amazing.

Ingredients

• 24 button mushrooms, washed and dried, stems removed & set aside

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

• 1 bunch of Flat leaf parsley

• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano

• 4 Tablespoons of grated parmesan, or pecorino romano

• 1/4 cup white wine 

• 1-2 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable broth)

• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Dice/chop mushroom stems. You can do this by hand with knife, or pulse in food processor.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in large frying pan. Add minced garlic to hot oil, sauté till fragrant (30 seconds). Add mushrooms stems, oregano, parsley, salt & pepper to pan. Sauté a couple minutes slightly cooking the diced stems.

Remove pan from heat, sprinkle with grated cheese, white wine, bread crumbs, mix well to bring all together. Taste for salt. Add as needed. 

With a spoon, fill the mushroom caps, place in baking pan. I use a pyrex dish. Add chicken broth to pan and cover mushroom caps in 1/4 to 1/2 of liquid. Cover with aluminum foil and place in oven.

Bake 45 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes uncovered. Timing varies on size of mushrooms. For smaller mushrooms bake for 30 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. 

SLOPPY NICKS [Turkey]

Not sure who Joe is, but this is my rendition of the popular classic. This recipe has been in the working since 2005, but never got written down. The first homemade Sloppy Joe I had was while I was studying abroad in Australia where a pearl laden Michigan native housemate taught me the way. I will never forget her cooking this in our small dorm room in her finest pearls....making Sloppy Joes.

Ingredients [makes 6-8 sloppy nicks]

• 3 lbs Ground Turkey

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced

• 2-3 Bell Peppers [mixed color], diced

• 1 1/2 cups Ketchup

• 1/2 cup bbq sauce

• TBLS Worcestershire Sauce 

• 2 tsp yellow mustard

• 1 1/2 cups red wine (don't get too fancy, it cooks down)

• 2 TBLS Olive Oil

Directions

Add olive oil to large pot at medium high heat. Toss in diced onion and peppers; sauce 5-10 minutes, until they start to cook down and carmelize a bit. I am not a fan of raw onion in anything, so I really cook it down to almost hide it in the dish. Remove from pot and set aside in a bowl. 

To pot, add ground turkey and season with salt & pepper. Do your best to break the meat up and brown it. Use the back of a wooden spoon, or even a potato masher to get into finer consistency. Once turkey is cooked through and no longer pink, add onion/pepper mix back in. 

Then add the ketchup, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and red wine. Mix well and bring to somewhat of a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. You really want to cook it down till you get the right "sloppy" consistency. We have all eaten these before, so you should know what to look for, its not too runny, but messy enough. 

Towards the end I needed to put mine on high heat to cook off the liquid and get it to the right consistency. If it gets too thick, add a little water and if its too thin, you can always add some cornstarch to bind it a bit. Taste it for the right tanginess. You can always tweak to your liking. I have noticed sometimes that I need to add a little more yellow mustard to get the right amount of tanginess. You will know what I mean when you taste it.

Transfer meat to buns. In this case, I also topped them with shredded pepper jack cheese and served them on brioche rolls. A hamburger bun works perfectly fine.

Enjoy. 

MOM'S PAN FRIED CORNISH HENS

One of my favorite meals growing up and today: My mom’s pan fried Cornish hens. These were always a treat growing up. I know they were a lot of work, because my mom was always manning the pan and slowly turning each piece by hand so that each one equally browned. I am always shocked at how much flavor this dish brings with just bay leaves, salt & wine.

This creates some of the best pan juice I know if.

Grab that bread. 

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish Hens [thawed fully if using frozen] 

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 6-8 Dried Bay Leaves

• 1/4 cup good white wine [used Pinot Grigio here]

• Salt & pepper

Directions

Rinse & pat those Cornish hens dry. Place on cutting board and get ready to cut down into smaller pieces. I used some amazing new meat shears I got, but you can do this with a nice cleaver. 

Salt & pepper both sides of the cut up chicken. I did this all in a sheet pan because it was the perfect size for this. 

Heat 1/2 cup oil in large pan. Test oil for readiness by slowly taking a piece of chicken with tongs and slowly place in oil, if it sizzles, then start placing chicken in oil. Lower heat to medium/high.

Fry in oil 10 mins till slightly golden on side, turn over and start browning other side. You'll start to see the chicken brown....you're on the right track. 

Once chicken starts to brown on both sides, add in bay leaves and work into oil to make sure bay leaves begin frying in oil. Fry an additional 10 mins.

Turn chickens frequently in oil until golden all around. 

Lower heat and slowly pour white wine into pan. 

Cook an additional 5 minutes, turning chicken frequently to baste into oil/wine mixture. Remove from heat. 

Serve directly from pan with a spoon, because you will want to soak up all the pan juices.

GRILLED BABY LAMB CHOPS W/ LEMON

This one is pretty simple and quick. Don’t need to go getting crazy to make lamb taste good, its just sooo good on it’s own. You can serve this an entree or an appetizer. I bought these @ Stop & Shop (local grocery store) because it’s less than a mile away and I didn’t feel like dealing with Costco. 

I LOVE Costco and you can’t beat their pricing for lamb chops, but you need to mentally be prepared to go there, and I wasn’t.

I can’t go there for one thing, I try all the time, but it never works….never. Even if you bet me, I couldn’t do it. I need the things I buy there…need them all.

Ingredients

• 3 lemons, halved

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 16 baby lamb chops (2.5 to 3 pounds)

• Kosher salt

Directions

On a rimmed container or even a ziplock bag, combine olive oil,  juice of 2 lemons with lamb chops. Sprinkle with salt.

Mix all around with your hands, make sure to evenly coat each lamb chop. Don’t be shy with the salt Slice the last lemon and place on top of lamb.

Cover and let marinate at room temperature, turning occasionally, about 1 hour, but are great after just 15-20 minutes. 

Preheat a grill – charcoal, propane or even a grill pan/skillet on the stove. I am using propane. I am in desperate need of a new grill and its more of a “searing” grill because it cooks @ massively high temps – it often flares up and I am too lazy to buy some new parts…I love it, it crisps these up nice.

Look at those flames…wtf am I thinking….but those grill marks….F yes.

Grill the chops and lemons until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve the chops topped with the lemons.

CORN SOUFFLE

Really trying to kick off the New Year right and posting some of my favorites. This has been a constant in my life, it’s one of those side dishes that is always a crowd pleaser. I don’t know where this one originated, but I assume Paula Dean was not far from whoever made this recipe up.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8oz) Box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

• 2 eggs

• 1 stick of melted butter

• 1 can of corn (drained)

• 1 can of cream of corn

• 8oz. Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pyrex dish or corning-ware with Pam.

Mix all together in large bowl, pour into baking dish.

Bake 50 minutes, until golden. Insert toothpick in middle to make sure fully cooked.

MOM’S TOMATO & CELERY SALAD

Growing up any nationality I am sure you have you staples that will always remind you of childhood, but this is one of mine, growing up Italian.

Everyone in the family grows celery. It started with my Nonni in the Bronx, who had a garden that you would have had to see to believe. Now my parents grow celery and all the aunts grow it too. For one reason only…this salad.

Ingredients:

• A few stalks of leafy celery, the leaves are critical (2 cups worth chopped)

• A handful of ripe tomatoes (2 cups worth diced)

• 4 TBLS of Oil (I used Mazola, but you can use anything light)

• Salt to taste

• Water

• Italian Bread

Make sure to wash the celery very well, since you are going to be using the leaves, sometimes its hard to see how dirty they actually are. Once clean, chop the celery into small rough pieces. Make sure to rough chop the leaves as well.

Dice up the tomatoes as well, into small pieces, it really doesn’t need to be perfect, its going to taste delicious.

Add the diced tomato and chopped celery to a medium bowl, the bowl you plan to serve this in works just fine, one less bowl to wash.

Ok, so the secret tool here, like every Italian mother and grandmother know…your hands. Crush some of the tomatoes in your hands to release some of the juices.

I didn’t take a picture of me doing this, so of course I go to google images and found this gem.

I guarantee you that this salad is not this much fun to make, so I am not sure what Giada is making here…

Ok, now back to reality. Add the oil, salt and a few TBLS of water to the mixture. Give a good stir to mix through. Taste for salt, the liquid should be addicting. Adjust as needed, also want to make sure you have enough juice for bread dunking, so add oil and water as needed.

Thanks Mom. Or should I say thanks Nonni.

THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE BACON (OVEN ROASTED)

This is the only way I cook bacon. I know I consume more bacon than the average person. I buy in bulk from Costco – can’t beat the deal…it’s like (5) lbs of bacon for under $10.00. I splurge sometimes for other bacons, but you can’t go wrong with Kirkland Brand, especially if you eat it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Bacon

• Parchment Paper

• Rimmed Baking Sheet (This is a MUST)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan, cut to shape.

3. Lay bacon out on parchment lined RIMMED baking sheet.

4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the bacon is really crispy.

5. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Oh yea and I also save all my bacon grease. I store it in a jar and keep in fridge…ya just never know when you are going to need to add some bacon grease to a meal. I like to sneak it in.

TERRY'S STRAWBERRY PECAN SPINACH SALAD

This recipe is in honor of Terry. Forever in our hearts, one of our closest family friends who was taken too young. When I had originally posted this recipe in 2010, we were fortunate to have Terry make this salad for us on 4th of July. This is a perfect summer salad. 

Ingredients:

• (2) 10oz bags of baby spinach

• (2) pints of fresh strawberries

• 6 oz sliced toasted pecans

Dressing

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 TBLS poppy seeds

• 2 TBLS sesame seeds

• 1 1/2 tsp minced onion

• 1 1/4 tsp paprika

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or tarragon vinegar

• 1/2 cup olive oil

Wash and dry spinach or use pre washed. Place in large bowl. Wash, dry and slice strawberries. Add them to the spinach.

Slice pecans and lightly toast in oven for a few minutes.

Put ingredients for dressing into a blender and mix 20-30 seconds. Add dressing to salad right before serving.

Mix well and enjoy. Love you Terry. 

FRAN'S FRIDAY PIZZA

Who doesn’t love pizza? Well I am sure the Atkins diet doesn’t, but that is just silly. Being from New York, I was born to eat pizza, being Italian, I was born to make it. 

Every Friday night at my parents house, there is bound to be a pizza in the oven. If there isn’t a pizza in the oven, then we are in the car on our way to Vermont, and stopped for pizza along the way. 

Everyone has their comfort food, be it fried chicken, cupcakes, taffy, mine is pizza.

Now that I am on my own, I need to keep the tradition alive and make pizza every Friday night. 

Once you see how easy it is to make your own pizza, you will think twice about ordering in delivery. Now you can certainly make your own dough and I have several times, but I would rather focus my attention on the toppings and let the dough be made by the pros. Believe it or not, a pizzeria will sell you plain dough. The prices can range anywhere from $2.00 to $4.00 for a large dough, it depends how much they want to rip us off. I purchased 4 large dough’s and then cut 2 of them in half to create 4 small ones.

This Friday I cooked 2 large pizza’s in the oven and 4 small pizza’s on the grill. You can go either way here, but I would suggest trying to grill your own pizza sometime. It tastes like it was cooked in a brick over, without the investment of Italian bricks. I will show you the basics of both methods and then you can get as creative you would like with the toppings.

Ingredients:

PLAIN CHEESE PIZZA

• 1 large dough

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

• 1-2 cups tomato sauce (home made or store bought)

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Fresh Basil torn into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

For this pizza, I decided to bake it in the oven, just like my mother would do every Friday. Using a rimmed baking sheet, whether it be round or square, drizzle the pan with oil. Then you need to stretch the dough to fit the pan. There is no need to throw the pizza in the air, you can certainly try. I grab the edges and hold it up so the dough naturally starts to stretch. You can also make fists and put the dough over it and slowly expand it.

Since I am using a rectangular baking sheet, I need to stretch it a little more one side then the other. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to fit inside the pan. The imperfections are what makes this pizza yours.

Now that the dough is in the pan, I spread the sauce onto the dough with a spoon. I leave about an inch or so of the edge un-sauced, so there is a crust.

Once the sauce is on the pizza, you can place is in the pre-heated oven and bake until the bottom is golden brown. It takes 10-15 mins to get the bottom golden. Depending on your oven, the time can vary. The easiest way to know, is to take a fork and lift the dough up to see the bottom. Once it’s golden brown. Take it out of the oven, sprinkle it with the grated parmesan cheese and then sprinkle with the torn basil. Then evenly sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the pizza. Place back into the oven until it reaches the desired crispiness. 

I like my pizza well done, so I leave it in a little longer.

FRESH FIGS W/ RAW HONEY

Do you ever have hungry people in your house and you literally are getting ready to cook dinner? How annoying are they? Hovering like vultures in the kitchen…waiting to attack any ingredient I take out. Ideally I would beat them with a wooden spoon, but apparently thats not appropriate (unless you were an Italian mother prior to Child Protective Services being launched).

So I open the fridge….my second fridge, because the average number of fridges in my family is (3) per household, technically I need to buy another fridge, right mom?

There is a box of figs. Perfect.

Slice em and drizzle honey….done. The vultures are ready, I place the plate on the floor. They need to work for this snack.

Ingredients:

• 6 fresh digs, cut in half

• Honey

• Salt

Directions

Slice Figs in half, place on plate, drizzle with honey, pinch of salt. Done.

MANDEL BREAD (ALMOND BREAD = BISCOTTI)

Biscotti literally means “twice-baked.” When I think of Biscotti, I think ITALIAN. The word is sacred to Italians, they own biscotti and no one should even attempt to compete with them. However, the Jewish have their own version of Biscotti that is up for the challenge. These cookies are called Mandel Brodt, which translates to Almond Bread. A very traditional Jewish cookie that is cooked in the same fashion as an Italian Biscotti and if one didn’t know any better, you could easily confuse the two. 

My mom has been making these for over 20 years and she was given the recipe from one of our Russian neighbors. We don’t exactly know where this recipe originated and if she added a Russian flare to these, but who cares, they’re delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 3 cups flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 cup slivered almonds

• cinnamon, sugar (they sell this pre-mixed, but you can easily make your own by mixing 1/2 cup sugar with 1.5 TBLS cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, blend the vegetable oil and the sugar together with a hand mixer.

Crack the eggs into a bowl or measuring cup and then add the eggs one at a time to the bowl, blend well. Add vanilla to the bowl and also all of the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder). Mix well.

Add in the slivered almonds and mix well until fully incorporated. Place 4 globs on 2 cookie sheets and shape like a loaf with wet hands (makes it easier to spread without sticking to your hands or the pan)

Sprinkle loafs generously with cinnamon sugar mixture

Bake at 350° 20-25 mins. When golden cut into biscotti and turn on side sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake additional 10 mins. Then turn over on other side, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake additional 10 mins.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

MOM'S GNOCCHI

Imagine having a few too many drinks at your uncle’s 50th birthday party and then your mother invites you over the next day to learn how to make gnocchi. I woke up and don’t remember the night, but I do remember the promise of fresh pasta. 

I wanted to share the experience I had while watching my mother take just flour and ricotta and turn them into something that sauce perfectly adhered to and melted in your mouth, all while not leaving you stuffed.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of Ricotta (we used Poly-O original)

• 6-8 cups of All-purpose flour

Tools: (optional)  certainly makes it easier

• Bench Scrapper  knife can be used

• Gnocchi Board  fork will work just fine

Makes approx 2 lbs (extra to freeze)

Make sure you have a clean stable work surface. My mom has a special board she had made for pasta and struffoli’s (honey balls). This is not required, but makes for an easy, low hassle working surface. Scoop out the ricotta into a pile and make a well in the center by taking a spoon and going in a circular motion.

Then you just need to add the flour in increments, mixing with your hands, until the right consistency in formed. Very similar to other pasta dough’s, it can’t be too sticky. If it continues to stick to your fingers, keep adding flour. The reason you add the flour in increments, is that you don’t want it to become too dry.

You’ll notice the dough is sticky, but not forming together. Keep adding flour and kneading it with your hands.

The dough is finally starting to come together and resemble a log. With an un-floured finger, try poking the dough and it you don’t stick, then the dough will be ready for rolling out.

Now comes the fun part. Place the dough in the corner of your workspace, since you are going to need plenty of room for rolling out and cutting. Cover the dough with a clean towel and using your bench scrapper or a knife, cut a 2 inch piece off at a time. Roll this into a 1/2″ thick log, you can make them as big or small as you would like.

Next, using the bench scrapper or a knife, cut them into 3/4″

You can cook them if you wanted to now, but traditional gnocchi have ridges. To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the front of a fork then gently roll up and around the back of the fork. If you the dough is sticking to the fork, dust the fork lightly with flour. If you happen to have a wooden gnocchi board, then you just press the dough at the top and roll it down.

After each rope is cut and formed into gnocchi, using your bench scrapper or a spatula, place them onto a lightly floured baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. This makes it easier to transport them to the water, once you’re ready to cook them.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and gently add the gnocchi, they will cook very fast. Approx 5-6 minutes and they will start floating to the top. Make sure you have an official pasta tester who has agreed to judge the doneness. That would be my dad. He’s the most picky eater and he loves his pasta, so were not done until he says so.

Once Big John says the pasta is done, then drain them and toss with your favorite sauce. We’ve got mom’s homemade sauce of course.

Enjoy. Not only is the pasta delicious, its fun to make and brings everyone together. That has to be the most rewarding thing about food.

Thank you Mom.

Love,

your Son