Moto Bella Pasta!

I made pasta today.  Must be a backlash from not eating any grains or bread or flour products.  Its been on my mind to do this for about 3 days. So here goes. These are actual untouched photos of my handiwork.  I think after this I can write a cookbook to rival the best out there.  See how photogenic my food is?  Its smiling.... One is made with arugula and the other is just plain potato gnocchi. My Italian grandmother made gnocchi for special occasions smothered with tomato sauce and grated  Italian cheese, which is how I came to know it and how to say it.  You are not going to beleive how easy this is. The pates aux herbes is French yet both go together so well because they share same ingredients.  Right now I have some yams in the oven baking. Tomorrow you will see my sweet potato gnocchi.  Not today I have too many things to do and you need your recipes.....

Each dish serves 2-3 comfortably. Here are the ingredients for both dishes, followed by the recipes


2 large or 3 small russet potatoes diced and cooked in boiling water til semi-soft.
arugala or other small leafed green like spinach dandelion, sorrel ( a wild thing) chopped finely to make 1 cup
1 egg
1 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
~2 cups  organic whole wheat or spelt flour.
1/2 cup melted Organic Butter or Olive oil
Romano cheese, grated.

Potato Gnocchi

Mash the potato with a fork or a potato masher. I don't have one, because all my "real" stuff is packed away in CA never to be seen again or until we move back there. In the meantime I use a fork. It works. Should be no lumps.

Add the egg, salt and around 2/3 cups of the flour. Get it stiff  enough so you can get a teaspoon of it at a time and roll it into a ball in the palms of your hand. Use extra flour to coat your hands 

To form the gnocchi, press the center of the ball with your thimb til the sides of the little ball touch.  gnocchi means mouse ear in Italian. All I can think of is who in this day in age would call it that?  I mean who even has studied a mouse enough to know to think to call something "mouse ears?"  These people whoever and wherever they lived, must have had a very intimate association with vermin.  Anyway put all these little creations on a plate that has been floured so they don't stick together. Leave 1/2 cup of this dough for the Pates Aux Herbes recipe below.

In the meantime get a large pot of water boiling. Drop the gnocchi in the water carefully so that they aren't piled on top of each other and stick . Watch them float.  As soon as they float start scooping them out with a slotted spoon.  Place in a dish coated with olive oil, Make sure all the gnocchi are covered in olive oil or I'm afraid you will have one ugly mess on your hands. If they are soggy (overcooked) you can put in an oven and dehydrate them a bit. 320 for about 15 minutes will fix that.

At serving time. you can drizzle  olive oil or melted butter on top, followed with a healthy sprinkling of Romano cheese.  I use Lucatella if I can find it. I never use Parmesan, because it doesn't have a strong enough flavor. Its a personal choice.

Pates Aux Herbes.

I have a BIG French cookbook I bought for the incredible pictures of food and of France. I really should use it more, because the recipes are superbe.  So here is a more colorful  dish to serve along with the gnocchi or with any meal as a side dish.  The original recipe is just flour ,no potato, and one needs a mortar and pestle to grind up the "herbes". Well forget that. The potato makes the dish lighter  and easier to digest, and who even has a mortar and pestle? Again yes I have that, but its in storage. You will see the side dishes actually make the meal, and pretty soon if you are used to serving meat or eggs as the main dish they are not going to be as interesting as some side dishes you are learning to make.

 Using about 1/2 cup of the gnocchi dough, mix in the chopped greens. Start to knead on a floured surface, adding more of the flour to make a stiff dough. It won't be completely smooth, thats okay. Just so you can put it on a floured cutting board and flatten it out. You can use a rolling pin( again my real stuff is in CA) or you can just use your fingers to flatten it out.  It should be about 1/16 inch thick.  

Then with a sharp knife cut into 2-3 inch squares.  Drop them in boiling water til they float. Take out with slotted spoon. Place in a dish with olive oil, so they don't stick. Add drizzled olive oil or butter and  some grated Romano cheese.   

Serve with Ceasar or Arugula Salad.  Enjoy............