Add split peas. Add ham hock. Cover with plenty of water. Simmer till done. Season. Eat. The recipe for split pea soup, if you were wondering. Not that you should need one. And yet I found myself the other night stirring up a giant batch of the stuff, one eye on the split pea soup page in our Joy of Cooking, the recipe stained with an ancient green thumbprint.
A case of constipation by recipe, to paraphrase Albert Roux (or Michel, not sure which). Not that I’m embarrassed to have used Mario Batali’s gnocchi recipe: gnocchi seems a bit more involved than split pea soup. Sort of. And yet, there I was, making the stuff, Babbo book open to page whatever, wondering why I needed someone to tell me how to boil potatoes.
I have a hunch gnocchi is one of those ethnic super foods i.e. screw it up and you risk death by grandma wielding a rolling pin. Grandma aside, it’s surprisingly easy to get right: I’ve eaten lousy gnocchi: fat, chewy, leaden marbles. But good gnocchi is delicious, so it’s worth finding a decent recipe. In the end, it comes down to whether or not you like the stuff, for however “pillowy” someone’s version may be, it’s still a heavy bite.
Here’s gnocchi with tomato sauce. Use the recipe. Actually, we gobbled it up naked, with butter and ricotta. In other words, going off recipe; the only way.
(NOTE: He says it serves 12. I know gnocchi servings are small, and maybe I cut them too large, but this serves 12 like I play center for the Knicks. 4-6 is more like it. I also skipped the part where you make the standard ribbed gnocchi pattern by rolling off the edge of a fork. Death by grandma.)
Gnocchi w/ Tomato Sauce (adapted from the Babbo book)
Serves 6
3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup canola.
Tomato Sauce (below)
- Boil the taters until soft, about 45 minutes. Drain peel while hot, and run through a food mill into a giant bowl.
- Bring a lot of water to boil in a large pot and set up an ice bath nearby.
- Make a well in the center of the potatoes, sprinkle the whole thing with the flour, and crack the egg in the center. Top with the salt. Using a fork, combine the egg with the potatoes and flour, as if you were making pasta. When it comes together, knead for a few minutes until the dough is dry.
- Divide dough into six balls. Roll each into a rope about ¾ inch thick and, using a bench scraper, lop off 1-inch long pieces. Flick the pieces off a fork to score the sides and throw into the boiling water.
- When the pieces float, about 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to scoop them into the ice bath. Repeat until all the dough is gone. Toss the gnocchi with canola and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- When ready to eat, cook the gnocchi in boiling water and toss with tomato sauce and parm.
Tomato Sauce
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 sage leaves
2 28 oz cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 7 or 8 minutes until fragrant but not colored. Rub the sage between your fingers and stir in. Add the tomatoes and simmer 30 minutes.
