the mystery of the disappearing dinner

now you see it...


now you don't!


for those of you who don't know, i'm a huge nancy drew fan, so the title of this post just came to me--flashed in front of my mind's eye with a spanky yellow binding :)

anyway, if you recall, about a month and a half ago, we had dinner with our friends drew and jessica. they were very kind to try some new, gluten-free gnocchi that we had made. EW... it was made from sorghum flour and was not so successful. this is where i apologize to drew and jessica and tell them that they are invited over for the rest of this gnocchi! it is just lying there, in a bag in my freezer, waiting for you to have spare time! SEE?!?


so here it is: tasty, gluten-free gnocchi

2 1/4 pounds potatoes (i used organic yukon gold)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (my flour of choice is namaste brand)
1 tsp. salt
large pinch of nutmeg
pepper to taste
1 egg

1. pierce potatoes 4-5 times and place into pre-heated 400 degree oven. bake for approx. 45 minutes. when they are done, let cool for about 10 minutes and then peel--no peeler necessary! just pinch the skin and pull back with your fingers. if it's too hot for you, hold potatoes with a pot holder.
2. put about 1 cup of flour into a large bowl. using a food mill over the bowl, puree the potatoes right onto the flour.
3. sprinkle the top with a little bit of flour--i used about 1/2 cup here. using a dough hook, slowly incorporate some of the flour until the mixture is a little crumbly.
4. add salt, nutmeg, pepper and egg. mix until well combined and everything forms a neat dough. it should not be sticky.
5. divide dough into quarters. roll out into long strips onto a lightly floured surface (i used plain sorghum flour for this step).
6. cut the gnocchi into 1/2 inch pieces. you can create the cock's comb here if you like, but i didn't. place gnocchi onto baking sheets and put into freezer until cold. then you can store in freezer bags and they won't stick together. just keep them all in one layer in the bag.
7. if cooking right away, place gnocchi into lightly salted boiling water. boil until they float to the top. don't crowd the pot or they might stick together! i only cook a handful at a time.

the sauce i made for these was a spicy green pea and butter sauce. it was basically butter (i really used smart balance). then i sauteed some garlic in the butter and added a handful of frozen green peas and a tablespoon of pine nuts because that's all i had left. when the peas were almost cooked and the pine nuts were a little toasty, i sprinkled with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, some black pepper, some parsley and i added a splash of vodka (i didn't have any white wine!) i finished with a small ladle of the gnocchi-cooking water. the hot sauce was then poured over the platter of gnocchi.

served with balsamic roasted brussels sprouts.

DELISH!

dessert: a gingerbread sheep that lee made yesterday after a minor gingerbread cookie making catastrophe. it all ended well, though, you see... well, for me, not the sheep. it's covered in cherrybrook kitchen dairy free icing :)