Parsnip Gnocchi

 

Parsnip gnocchi?! Whaaaat?! Another specialty a la Mark Bittman.
(Not the prettiest dish, but delicious. Another fun Saturday activity).
This was my first time making gnocchi - it's actually not all that hard, and it is definitely one of my favorite foods. Next time I'm going to try sweet potato gnocchi.

Parsnip Gnocchi
4 servings (or 1 Dave serving plus 1 Kristen serving)

1 pound parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional) - I forgot about this so left it out, but I'm sure it would have been delicious (even if dried)

1. Roast, steam, or boil parsnips until very tender (I boiled - only took 15-20 minutes or so). Be sure to drain well before proceeding. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2. Puree the parsnips in a food processor until smooth; sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Add about 1 cup of the flour, the Parmesan, and the nutmeg and stir; add more flour until the mixture forms a dough you can handle. Knead for a minute or so on a lightly floured surface (I more than "lightly" floured it). The idea is to make a dough with as little additional flour as possible.
3. Roll a piece of dough into a rope about 1/2 inch thick, then cut the rope into 1-inch lengths; traditionally, you would spin each of these pieces off the tines of a fork to score it lightly. As each gnoccho is ready, put it on a sheet of wax paper; do not allow them to touch. (There is a good drawing of how to score the gnocchi, which I cannot reproduce, but I'm sure there are good instructions online somewhere).
4. A few at a time, add the gnocchi to the boiling water and stir. A minute after they rise to the surface, the gnocchi are done; remove with a slotted spoon. Put in a bowl and sauce or reheat in butter wthin a few minutes; these do not keep well (so eat them in one sitting like I did!).

Sauce: Butter, Sage, and Parmesan

4 tablespoons of butter
20-30 fresh sage leaves
1 cup Parmesan

Heat 4 or more tablespoons butter with 20 or 30 fresh sage leaves; the butter should brown and the sage sizzle. Toss pasta with the butter, sage, and Parmesan, thinning the sauce with pasta cooking liquid if necessary.

Lime Colada Cupcakes

A few weeks after getting my new STAND MIXER (see previous post), and after my final exam, I had no plans for Saturday night and decided it was time to break in the mixer. (Obviously in an ideal world, I would have used the mixer right away, but studying got in the way.) I didn't feel like going out to the grocery store so I had to find a recipe for which I already had all of the ingredients, and I found this one online (I think on Tastespotting). The only think I left out was the coconut milk, because I didn't have any, but the frosting was still delicious. I also had bought a new mini cupcake pan, which I filled first, but I still had extra batter to make 8 large cupcakes.

Lime Pound Cake Cupcakes

Makes 15 cupcakes or one loaf pan

Ingredients

• 2 sticks salted butter
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used all-purpose)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 350*F.
Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, and then whisk the warm butter so no milk solids remain. Mix the melted butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until the sugar is well-dissolved. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the lime juice. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk in 3 additions. Mix until just combined, then scoop into lined cupcake tins or one 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes for cupcakes, 45-50 minutes for a loaf pan. Allow to cool completely then frost. 

For the frosting: "Best Buttercream Ever" (substitute coconut milk for milk, and add a 1/2 cup of coconut flakes).

Original recipe here

Glory.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Curried Almonds

 

Another great one from linden & rosemary. The curried almonds are the best part - so don't leave them out!


Carrot Ginger Soup with Curried Almonds
Serves 4

For Nuts
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch of salt

For Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 pound carrots, peeled and 1/2-inch sliced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Salt and cracked pepper
Light sour cream
Fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Toss almonds, oil, curry powder and salt in a small bowl. Toast in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently, until light golden and fragrant. Transfer to plate and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add broth, carrots and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are very tender when pierced.
3. Remove from heat and transfer in batches to a blender (or puree using an immersion blender).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with curried nuts, a dollup of light sour cream and fresh parsley.

Original recipe here 

Cannellini Burgers

 

It has been far too long since my last post...I have a bunch of backlog on recipes to add, so I'm going to be pretty busy. I had a final last Tuesday for an econ class I took through Harvard Extension school, and that sucked up my life for about a week, and now I'm catching up on all other aspects of life - specifically, cooking.

I made these cannellini burgers a few weeks ago -  my first shot at veggies burgers, and they were really good. I found these on a blog through Tastespotting - and I have made a few other recipes from the same blog. The pesto that goes with burgers is great with pasta as well.


Cannellini Cilantro Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Makes 4 cakes

Pesto1 cup (loosely-packed) jarred roasted red peppers (you need 1 cup after draining)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon pine nuts (or any nut)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cracked black pepper

Cannellini Cakes1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cracked black pepper

For serving - mixed greens lightly dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt/pepper

1. To make pesto, combine all ingredients in blender and process into a coarse puree. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mash cannellini beans to a chunky paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Form into four patties. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, spray with nonstick spray or add a little olive oil. Cook cakes for 5-6 minutes per side or until golden brown and heated through.
3. Serve cannellini cakes over mixed greens with roasted red pepper pesto.

Other ideas for the pesto:

Toss with hot pasta
Spread on toasted baguette with goat cheese
Use as a sauce for veggie pizza
Layer into a toasty sandwich or wrap




Original recipe here (and great blog)