Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks again to Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South Africa for this
one:

Four-year-old Johnny was eating a hot dog when he dropped it on the
floor. He quickly picked it up and was about to take another bite
when his mom said, "No, Johnny, you can't eat that now, it has germs."

Johnny pondered the thought a moment and replied, "The Easter Bunny,
Santa Claus, and germs - that's all I ever hear about and I haven't
seen one of 'em yet!"

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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My family first discovered gnocchi (pronounced NYO-key) when we lived
in South America, where our housekeeper was also an expert cook. I
remember the excitement of learning to make these myself, never
imagining that I could equal Pocha's mastery of the dish. Mine are
really very good, and probably only fail in my not being able to thank
Pocha after the meal.

Potato Gnocchi (Gnocchi di Patate)

1 1/2 lbs (680 g) boiling potatoes (not Idaho or new potatoes)
1 cup all-purpose flour

Boil the unpeeled potatoes in a generous amount of water until they
are tender. Do not test them too often, as piercing them will allow
them to absorb more water. Drain and cool the potatoes until you can
handle them, and peel. Puree them through a food mill or potato
ricer. Add most of the flour to the mashed potatoes and knead it
until it is smooth. Stop adding flour when the mixture is soft,
smooth, and still a little bit sticky. Roll out into sausage-like
rolls about the thickness of your thumb, and cut these into 3/4 inch
(2 cm) pieces. This next part is more difficult to describe than to
do. Holding a fork in one hand, and using the thumb of the other
hand, roll the individual pieces of dough over the tines of the fork
and allow them to fall onto the counter. The gnocchi should roughly
cylindrical in shape and have ridges formed by the tines of the fork
on about 2/3 of its circumference, and there should be a dimple left
by your thumb on the remaining circumference. This takes a little
practice, so try a few, and then roll the failures into balls and try
again.

Drop the gnocchi a couple of dozen at a time into 5 quarts (5 L) or
more of boiling water. When they rise to the surface they are almost
done, so allow them to float for about 10 seconds and then scoop them
out using a slotted spoon. Place on a heated platter and sauce with
the sauce of your choice. Serves 4 to 6.

When I first made this sauce I simply couldn't believe how delicious
it was. It has since become my family's all-time favorite pasta
sauce, and it is especially good with gnocchi. You may use any good
quality blue cheese, but you really need Gorgonzola to make it to
perfection.

Gorgonzola Sauce

1 cup heavy cream or Half & Half
4 oz (100 g) Gorgonzola cheese, or
other good quality blue cheese
Salt to taste
2 Tbs (30 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the cream to a low boil in a saucepan large enough to hold the
cooked pasta. Boil gently, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until
reduced in volume by about half. Add the remaining ingredients and
stir until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the cooked pasta to
the pot and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately. Serves 4
to 6.
Received on Thu Dec 16 09:55:33 2004