Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Delicious and easy gnocchi is one of mine and my husband’s favorite kinds of pasta.

Ingredients

3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups vegetable marinara
1 ½ pounds fresh Italian sausage

Technique

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups near boiling water.

Make a well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil and set aside.

Cut the Italian sausage into 1 inch sections and place in sauté pan.  Adding a small amount of water to the bottom to prevent sticking/burning cook sausage thoroughly or until crispy brown.  Add sauce right before serving.  Pour sausage/marinara mixture over gnocchi and serve.   Buon appetito!!

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Not Your BoxedTuna Cassarole

I heartily dislike crunchy things on top of my casseroles or macaroni and cheese.... 

Ingredients

1 package shell noodles
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (extra for topping)
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
2 heads broccoli, chopped

 

Technique

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Boil noodles according to package directions or until al dente.
In a medium saucepan, combine flour, butter, and salt. Stir until butter is melted and ingredients are combined evenly. Add milk, and stir until the sauce thickens.  Add cheese to mixture, and stir until cheese is melted and mixture is well blended. Stir in tuna, broccoli, and noodles. Spread evenly in prepared dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

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Amatriciana Sauce

This is easy enough to be a go-to dinner, but tasty enough for company. I first had Amatriciana sauce in Murano, Italy and knew that I had to find a recipe so that I could relive the experience back home. Giada came to the rescue with this delicious and easy sauce.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

8. oz. pancetta, diced

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes

1 28 oz can of tomato puree, or crushed tomatoes

1/2 t. sea salt (or just salt if you don't have sea salt)

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 c. Pecorino Romano cheese

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the can of tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, on medium low until the sauce thickens, between 15 and 20 minutes. Stir in the cheese. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

~I recommend using a long pasta for this sauce. In Italy it was served with Bucatini, but I can't find that anywhere near me. I use spaghetti or linguini.

~Serve with a salad and enjoy!

~Original recipe can be found in Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis
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Tortellini Salad

A delicious quick lunch!

Ingredients

2 lbs frozen cheese tortellini
1 lb broccoli florets
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, chopped

Sauce:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup milk
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs Italian spices


Technique

In a large pot boil water and cook tortellini according to package directions. Add broccoli when the tortellini has 3 more minutes to cook. Drain pasta and broccoli and run under cold water until cold. Pour into bowl and add tomatoes. Whisk all other ingredients together until thoroughly mixed and gently stir into pasta. Best served chilled. Buon appetito!







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Ravioli Dinner Salad

This is delicious, quick and extremely simple to make

2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 t. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 lb. frozen cheese ravioli
5 c. arugula leaves, coarsely chopped, (5 ounces)


Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit while you cook the ravioli. Cook ravioli according to package instructions. Drain and add to bowl along with the arugula. Toss and serve.

adapted from So Easy by Ellie Krieger

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