On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:40:56 +1000, "Peter"
<aussieslothNOSPAMMERSatyahoo.com.au> wrote:

A little snip here!

>>>Gnocchi freeze well. Place on a sheet pan, freeze, portion in plastic
>>>bags.
>>>They'll be good for about a month, after that they will start to dry out
>>>(freezer burn). Boil from frozen, 2-3 minutes.
>>>
>> Thank you so much for that. We find gnocchi generally fairly bland,
>> but I guess the sauce is the the answer to this? I made a batch
>> from simply potato, egg and flour but added grated parmesan cheese to
>> give te gnocchi a lift. I wonder if cooked grated onion with garlic
>> might also help. Do you know?
>>
>> Thanks again.
>>
>>
>> The Golfer's Wife
>
>If you want to bump up the flavour & texture, try frying the gnocchi after
>it is cooked. This is one of the few things that I think a non-stick pan is
>perfectly suited to.
>
>Over fairly high heat, add some oil (I use olive but you have to be careful
>not to let it get too hot and start degrading - peanut oil would be a good
>oil for a first attempt as it's more forgiving temperature-wise) and then,
>using a slotted spoon, drain each scoop and add to the frypan. CAUTION: If
>you don't drain sufficiently you will get some serious oil splatter. With
>practice, you can get a real rhythm going, doing small batches at a time,
>getting them crisp and golden brown on the outide.
>
>When all gnocchi is done, drain the oil (or not), and put the sauce in and
>heat it up. Then add the gnocchi back in and stir to coat.
>
>A number of friends have said they didn't care for gnocchi until they tried
>it this way. Add parmesan once plated.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Pete
>Ormiston, Qld, Australia
>
Thank you Pete for your hints. I have used this potato/egg/flour
mixture in a number of ways now - as potato dumplings to go with
Hungarian and Czech goulash, as potato dumplings cooked in the last 15
minutes or so of a beef stew that has lots of yummy gravy. And as
gnocchi.

I have also sliced off the roll 2 cm pieces of mixture and fried them
in a little butter and oil. I haven't tried doing this with cooked
pieces (gnocchi or otherwise). I will try that. It sounds good. I
use peanut oil quite often when I don't want the oil to burn or
degrade. Perhaps the trick is to cook the gnocchi, remove and drain
onto paper towels, and then fry in hot oil or butter or a mixture of
both.

I have tried a number of experiments with the potatoes. But this is
the best I have come up with: boil about 500g (1lb or thereabouts) of
good yellow-type mashing potatoes (I use Agria) for about 18 minutes
or so - until a skewer will go through. Drain and dry in the pan
over the element turned off for a couple of minutes.

I then push the potatoes through a ricer. I bought mine in Queensland
as it happens! When it is cool, I place it in a bowl, cover with
cling-wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.

(Some recipes say you can deal with the potatoes warm, and some say
refrigerate. I like the latter.) Next day I add to the potatoes 1
egg and enough flour to make a firm mixture. The flour measurements
are frequently not enough, and I think there is a "feel" about this
mixture that the cook gets to know. I worked at it a couple of
times. (The first time the gnocchi disastrously dissolved immediately
in the boiling water!)

The mixture seems to take a lot more flour than you think it will. I
then add whatever I think will enhance the flavour. But here I am
quite at sea. I added about half to 3/4 cup of grated parmesan to
the last batch - and it improved the flavour. Can I add cooked
finely chopped onion and garlic I wonder? And what else? As a
cook I think finely chopped herbs of some sort would be ok also.

I need some help with additives here.

Thanks for your input

Cheers




The Golfer's Wife