To fuck or to cook?

[ltl/fb]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

the fringy I grew up with was a bacon as comfort food girl. I guess you're all sophisticated now. the growth is all good, but don't expect any of these socks to get you gnocchi of the month.

Crumbled bacon in some kind of sauce on gnocchi. I ate mushroom gnocchi from highly sophisticated SuperTarget.

Most comforting would be gnocchi I hadn't laboriously made by myself, in bechamel with cheese (this is basically the cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese), topped with crumbled bacon. Or, to make it as easy as possible, bacon from a defrosted rolled up and frozen single slice or two (I find opening the package and rolling up and freezing the individual slices handy when one frequently wants to use less (or far less) than a full pound or whatever, and frozen weight not really different from refrigerated weight plus cane easily count # slices)

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally Posted by ltl/fb

Or, to make it as easy as possible, bacon from a defrosted rolled up and frozen single slice or two (I find opening the package and rolling up and freezing the individual slices handy when one frequently wants to use less (or far less) than a full pound or whatever, and frozen weight not really different from refrigerated weight plus cane easily count # slices)

Whoa. This is potentially life-changing. Also, -shortening.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

I had an orgasmic gnocchi in a little restaurant in St. Helena about ten years ago. Still get weak in the knees thinking about it.

Which restaurant? I can always use a nearby food-orgasm.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Which restaurant? I can always use a nearby food-orgasm.

It was on the left side of the main street as you're driving into town from Yountville. Wasn't part of a winery.

Based on google maps, it's probably this place or its predecessor: http://www.vercelliristorante.com/dinner.php

It's been well over a decade since I had the gnocchi in question, though. And I thought for some reason I'd heard that someone I was with during the, er, episode when I first tried it went back to find the restaurant gone or substantially changed. If you do go on a fact finding mission and locate it, let me know. I'll be on the first plane out.

I remember every single bite of that gnocchi. It was that good. My dining companions had to order a second plate because I refused to share more than the first "holy fuck you have to try this" bite before I came to my senses and realized if I gave it away, there'd be less for me.

ETA: It's not that place. Their "about us" page says they were founded in 2006. It was either in that location or nearby.

ETA2: One of my dining companions thinks it's probably this:

http://www.trnapawineco.com/pdf/reci...to_Gnocchi.pdf

Ingredients:
Gnocchi:
2 lbs. large russet potatoes ¼ cup ricotta cheese
1 egg pinch of ground nutmeg
1 to 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour Rice flour for dusting
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese salt and white pepper to taste
½ cup Italian Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup 1- inch strips spinach or radicchio
1 tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

Gnocchi Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Peel
while hot, then press through a ricer into a medium bowl. Add the egg, 1 cup of the flour, Parmesan
cheese, ricotta and nutmeg and mix well. Add more flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead in the
bowl for about 1 minute or until the dough comes together. Lightly flour a work surface with rice
flour. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a ¾ inch rope. Cut into 1-1/2 inch long
pieces and transfer to a baking sheep pan lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with rice flour.
Cover with a dry towel and refrigerate for up to one day.

To make the sauce, combine the cream, cheeses and butter into a large saucepan and bring to a boil
while whisking until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

To finish the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook for about 2
minutes or until they are all floating on the surface. Add the spinach to the sauce and bring to a boil.
Drain the gnocchi and transfer to the sauce. Swirl the pan to gently coat the gnocchi.

To serve, divide the gnocchi and sauce among 4 warmed shallow bowls and sprinkle with pine nuts

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

the fringy I grew up with was a bacon as comfort food girl. I guess you're all sophisticated now. the growth is all good, but don't expect any of these socks to get you gnocchi of the month.

It's actually quite delicious served with some sage brown butter and guanciale.

[ltl/fb]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

It's actually quite delicious served with some sage brown butter and guanciale.

Brown butter sauce may be worse for blood cholesterol levels than bacon. Pretty much all that is tasty is bad for cholesterol, blood sugar, or whatever.

[ltl/fb]

Worth the effort?

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by ltl/fb

Brown butter sauce may be worse for blood cholesterol levels than bacon. Pretty much all that is tasty is bad for cholesterol, blood sugar, or whatever.

Brown butter is very cholesterol dense, but I use two tablespoons to coat gnocchi for four people. On a portioned basis, that's better than any cream sauce and many tomato or wine based sauces.

I'm getting better and better at making a little bit go a long way, health-wise.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by ltl/fb

Worth the effort?

It is, because granolas are a terrible source of hidden fat and sugar. Making your own can cut down on both with little or no loss of flavor. Plus you have the ability to make your own mix, more of what you like, less of what you don't.

[ltl/fb]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

It is, because granolas are a terrible source of hidden fat and sugar. Making your own can cut down on both with little or no loss of flavor. Plus you have the ability to make your own mix, more of what you like, less of what you don't.

Is there anything not high in sugar or fat that will make clumps form?

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by ltl/fb

Is there anything not high in sugar or fat that will make clumps form?

You don't want to eliminate the sugar and fat entirely, just reduce it. You can make a simple syrup, or use honey, but use half of the amount the recipe calls for, getting additional sweetnes from dried fruits, like cranberries and dates, both of which are lower in sugars than many fruits and also have a small amount of fiber and lower the glycemic index. A little bit of oil will help form the clumps, just don't use as much as a recipe might call for. If you don't mind a little bit of eggy taste, you can also use egg white with the oil, and bake it at a slightly lower temperature for 5 minutes longer.

This recipe uses applesauce; others use fruit juice concentrate. That will allow you to cut out the oil completely if you're so inclined, but the fruit juice concentrate strikes me as replacing sucrose for concetrated fructose, which I don't really think is any better for you. Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.

[ltl/fb]

And all I do is cook. Life is icky.

In any event, I have cooked squashes lately and saved and roasted seeds. What now? Seasonings fall off.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by ltl/fb

And all I do is cook. Life is icky.

In any event, I have cooked squashes lately and saved and roasted seeds. What now? Seasonings fall off.

Grind them and use them as a thickening agent in Mexican-inspired sauces and stews. Ground pumpkin seeds are the basis of many green moles in Mexican cooking. They add a great flavor and body. Don't go too heavy on spicy chiles, just use Anaheim and some jalapeno. Heavy on the cilantro and epazote.

[ltl/fb]

Frozen fruit is a most excellent substitute for ice cubes, especially in sangria.

[ltl/fb]

At some point prior to 2009, I think I read somewhere that it was traditional to use a little (it probably said how much) rte flour in all breads for flavor in some I think European country. Any clues or should I just wing it?