Thursday, September 27, 2007

chicken soup and cake

made campbell's select chicken soup and a vanilla cake for s.c. who was feeling sad about not being head drum major. The soup was because she's sick. It's pretty strange. I've always that that it was an Euro-American thing to eat Chicken Soup when you're sick. For asian, we eat like porridge or rice with water because it's really plain. Apparently, chicken soup causes mucus flows to expel and trap bacteria. It also clears up a stuffy nose for a bit and is generally just nutritious. Though, I'm not sure how nutritious canned soup is.

And for Culinary Club, we have the opportunity to go to Bistro 561 and have a tour of the kitchen! Updates on that later as soon as I make reservations for like 20 people.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Sautéed Gnocchi with Tomato and Onion



I love gnocchi-- it's hard work, but I love how potatoes are made into a soft, crunchy cake. Although I like mine a little more browned [see picture], gnocchi is the perfect appetizer.

The recipe came from Béa's La Tartine Gourmande food blog. Her Gnocchi dish is expertly made with delicate and artful presentation. I who knows little abou gnocchi was easily burnt and crumbled. I did not have Taragon so I substituted an Italian Herb mixture that you can buy at the grocery store and no cheese. But I assure you, the Tomatoes still had quite a lot of flavor.

I started by using real Roma Tomatoes, but you could always buy canned [and drained] Italian-seasoned Tomatoes.

For the gnocchi:
1 lb Russet Potatoes
1 egg
2 oz all-purpose
1 tbsp chives, chopped

For the Tomatoes:
4 Roma Tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh Tarragon [or Italian Herb Seasoning, if you are already using canned tomatoes, this is not necessary]
1 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper

Gnocchi:
Preheat your oven to 400 F and prick the potatoes all over. Bake for one hour or until tender. Cool, scoop out flesh, and pass through a Potato Ricer. Why? You don't want lumps and clumps-- a ricer ensures a consistency in the smoothness of your "mashed" potatoes.

Add flours, chives, egg, and season with salt.

Mix the dough but be sure for it not to be too wet as they will break apart later on and take long to boil. Add flour if necessary. The dough should stick together.

Roll dough [if not rollable, more flour!] into 5 inch rolls about 1-1.5 inches in diameter and wrap it securely in plastic film. Boil for about 10 minutes remove and cool in iced water.

for the tomatoes:
Blanch your tomatoes by cutting crosses on the end and boiling for 10 seconds. Place in ice water immediately. Peel of the skin and dice.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic, onions, and herbs. Season with salt. Be careful not to burn the garlic as it will leave a bitter taste. Cook on medium heat until the mixture is soft and onions are translucent. [5 - 10 minutes]

Add tomatoes and simmer on medium-low heat until the mixture has reduced. Season.

Finish:
cut your gnocchi into 1 inch rounds. Heat olive oil on a non-stick frying pan and fry until golden brown to your taste.

Garnish each round with a dollop of tomato. Add some Parmesean cheese shavings and decorate with a tarragon sprig. [In my case, it's not tarragon haha].