On my way home from grabbing Starbucks with my mom this afternoon I made a stop at one of my favorite places to shop for produce, the Sunflower Market. It is here that I bought my little basil plant a few months ago, and here that I get excited about the cheap avocados. I generally know what I am going into the market for, but I always come out with more than I had planned. It is a great place to shop if you love to cook, especially if you love to cook healthy dishes.
This particular afternoon I was on a mission, charging straight to the counter for a fillet of salmon, and racing through the aisles for the ingredients to a couscous salad I was wanting to make. While quickly scanning the shelves for couscous, I happened to come upon one of my favorite sections…the pasta and other Italian necessities. For those of you who may not know yet, I am Italian and I love to cook food from the “home land.” Even when I am in a bit of a hurry, there is always time for the Italian section. I slowed my cart down, waited for a man and his daughter to pass by, and swung where I could get a full view of life’s sweetest ingredients.
It was then that I spotted my new best friend. Sitting on the top shelf, only one of two, a perfectly wrapped package of gnocchi. It was something I had for the first time in Italy and loved. The first time I tried it in Italy was off of my dad’s plate, just as a sample. Immediately I was in love with this little potato dumpling and knew that I would need to order my own the next night at dinner. Now, here before my very eyes, was a package of gnocchi that just seemed to have my name on it.
As I placed it in my basket my mind was already spinning with ideas for sauces. I could use pesto, but my latest batch is in the refrigerator and still over a week away from using. I could make traditional sauce, the family recipe, because it does not get much better than that. But as I was driving home I remembered the extra sun dried tomatoes sitting in my cupboard, the pine nuts patiently waiting for the next batch of pesto, and the fresh garlic that needed to get used in the next few days. Yes, I think I will make the gnocchi with the sun dried tomato pesto. (See post on Red Pesto). Done! Oh gnocchi how I love thee!
Just what is gnocchi?
The word gnocchi in Italian means “lump,” and that is basically what it looks like. It is most commonly made from potato that has been put through a ricer and then made into dough with flour and salt. The gnocchi are curled into little dumplings, or lumps, and are pressed with a fork to make their famous shape.
Gnocchi can also be made from flour or cheese instead of potatoes, but if you want true gnocchi, stick with the potatoes.
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