Gnocchi with Basil and Butter

I was looking again for a simple easy dinner and came up with this one tonight. It was quite good and both simple and fast to make. I made the gnocchi fresh as it's very easy to do but you can substitute store bought if desired.

Gnocchi

4 boiled potatoes mashed (skinless)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups all purpose flour

Sauce

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1-2 cloves minced garlic

You can substitute fresh potatoes with instant potatoes as well to speed things up. Bring two cups milk to a simmer, add 1 1/3 cup potato flakes and stir until smooth and mashed like.

Gnocchi instructions from scratch

To make the gnocchi, place mashed potato into mixing bowl, add in eggs and salt and combine until smooth. Slowly add flour 1/2 cup at a time until very well combined.

Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, (about 10-15 times). Cut sections from the dough and roll into a snake like ribbon.

Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces, flip through the flour and press a fork into each piece to flatten a little bit.

Move to a cookie sheet, until ready. Making the actual gnocchi dough takes about 1/2 hour.

Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil. Add the gnocchi to the water and stir occasionally. Boil approximately 5 minutes and strain into a colander. Place cooked gnocchi into a large serving bowl.

In the meantime while gnocchi is boiling, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Bring to a simmer, add the garlic and basil and simmer while the pasta is boiling. Pour over gnocchi in the serving bowl and mix to combine. Serve immediately topping with Pecorino or Parmagean cheese.

All told this dish took about 45 minutes to make from scratch, start to finish. If using premade gnocchi it can be ready in about 10 minutes. Served with Caprese Salad it make a lovely, substantial but light tasting dinner.

Caprese Salad

I love this salad. It always reminds me of being in Rome, sitting on the rooftop terrace of the Forum Hotel, or at an outdoor cafe.

There are other foods that remind me of Rome as well. Canteloupe wrapped in prosciutto, and Penne Alla Carbone come to mind immediately. We found a fabulous local trattoria in Rome in the Aventine district that was probably one of the best meals we ever had. It didn't even look like a restaurant. We were quite far off the beaten track and when we got to the address I thought...uh oh...it's closed.

Behind two layers of frosted glass and an imposing entranceway a jewel was hidden. Our waiter spoke little english, and we little Italian. We managed to choose our first course easily but when it came to the meat course and pasta course we were pretty clueless. We told him to pick for us. I did also get across that tripe would not be ideal...LOL. We dined on the most marvelous roast of lamb I've ever had, and discovered penne alla carbone.

I've never been able to duplicate the lamb, but I'm getting close with the penne. Once I perfect it I'll share. In the meantime we had a light dinner tonight and had Caprese salad.

Very easy to make, and just scrumptiously good.

Ingredients.

1 or 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1 package fresh mozzarella ball (s)

handful of fresh basil chopped

salt to taste

olive oil

All you do is slice your tomatoes and place on a plate. Spread the chopped fresh basil over the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and a dash of salt. Cut the fresh mozzarella and place over the tomatoes. Poof...you're done.

This is the sure fire way to get my kids to eat fresh tomatoes. Given the season the tomatoes and basil are both from our struggling garden this year.