Today’s gourmet meal consisted of homemade gnocchi (Italian-style potato dumplings) and meatballs simmered in a simple marinara sauce. This was our first attempt at making gnocchi and (if I do say so myself) they were wonderful. The ground chicken and turkey meatballs, however, came from the frozen foods section of the supermarket. Although the meatballs were OK, we’re sure we could do better — and will next time using freshly ground beef and sweet pork sausage. I’ll probably add this meal to our recipe pages when we make the entire meal from fresh ingredients.
The gnocchi are made by first baking a couple of potatoes (about a pound’s worth). When the potatoes cool down, scoop out the potato and discard the skins. Mash the potatoes and mix with an egg and flour. To make the individual gnocchi, roll about a heaping tablespoon in your hands (use flour so the potato doesn’t stick to your hands). When the gnocchi are ready, drop them into boiling water. When the gnocchi float to the top, they are done. Scoop them out using a slotted spoon into serving bowls. Ladle the meatballs and sauce over the gnocchi and garnish with a little Romano or Parmesan cheese.
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