Gnocchi and Homemade Meat Sauce...Mmm, Mmm, Good.

As many of you know, I love pasta. My friends also know I love potatoes. Potato anything. French fries, tater tots, au gratin, baked, or, how about...potato pasta! Gnocchi is one of those items that I never really thought I could make.

So, one cold night back in November, I decided to give these a shot. The recipe, by the infamous Mario Batali, that I based my gnocchi off of is located here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/gnocchi-in-the-style-of-sorrento-gnocchi-all-sorrentina-recipe/index.html

But, clearly Mr. Bubbe's Kitchen and I needed some protein in our meal. So I decided to jazz up the sauce by adding some beef chuck. Now, I was on the search for some beef short ribs, but since there were none at the grocery store we went to, I settled for beef chuck. This turned out fantastic. I cannot even tell you. Throw a piece of meat into the slow cooker and voila, it becomes super tender and full of love.

So, let's get right to it, shall we?

Gnocchi:

3 pounds (about 5) russet potatoes

2.25 cups all purpose flour

1 large egg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Basic tomato sauce:

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped in 1/4-inch diced

5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt

+ 1 pound beef chuck for stew (omit this ingredient for a vegetarian option)

How to do it

Place the potatoes in a large pot and just cover with cold water. Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft, about 45 minutes. While still warm, peel the potatoes and pass them through a food mill onto a clean pasta board. My own little note: I burnt myself doing this. Be careful. You want the potatoes warm but not HOT to the touch.

Make a well in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle with the flour. Place the egg and salt in the center of the well and, using a fork, stir the egg into the flour and potatoes.

Bring the dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed, and continue to knead for another few minutes, until the dough is dry to the touch. I had to add additional flour to make my dough more dry. Cut a tennis-ball sized hunk of dough off the main ball and roll it into a dowel about 3/4-inch thick. Cut across the dowel to form pellets about 1 inch long. Flick each pellet down the tines of a fork to form the traditional gnocchi shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.








When you are ready to serve the gnocchi, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add salt to the water.

Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until floating aggressively, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the gnocchi to the pan with the sauce, using a slotted spoon. Turn the heat to medium and toss gently for about 30 seconds. Serve immediately with the sauce (recipe below!)

Gnocci Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Recipe Serves 6 people

Amount per Serving
• Calories 149Calories from Fat 7
% Daily Value *
• Total Fat 0.83g1%
• Saturated Fat 0.25g1%
• Trans Fat 0.83g
• Cholesterol 35.83mg12%
• Sodium 50.83mg2%
• Potassium 13.13mg0%
• Total Carbohydrate 29.92g10%
• Dietary Fiber 2.5g10%
• Sugars 19.17g
• Protein 5.46g11%
• Vitamin C37.5
• Calcium1.67
• Iron7.25
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 5.0% Carbs 80.3%
Protein 14.7%

The Sauce!

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the beef; sear it to lock the juices in. Remove the beef, and place it into your slow cooker.

Add the thyme, oregano, basil, and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Move into the slow cooker with the beef, and let cook for about 3-4 hours.

Season with salt, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and serve.

Sauce nutrition:

Without meat-

Nutrition Facts

Recipe Serves 6 people

Amount per Serving

• Calories 99Calories from Fat 11

% Daily Value *

• Total Fat 1.23g2%
• Saturated Fat 0.43g2%
• Monounsaturated Fat 0.42g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0.09g
• Cholesterol 1.67mg1%
• Sodium 715.67mg30%
• Potassium 27.23mg1%
• Total Carbohydrate 19.63g7%
• Dietary Fiber 4.63g19%
• Sugars 11.29g
• Protein 5.29g11%

• Vitamin A19.42
• Vitamin C34.77
• Calcium3.84
• Iron13.13
• Vitamin E0.06
• Niacin (B3)0.03
• Vitamin B60.2
• Phosphorus0.94
• Magnesium0.65
• Panthothenic Acid0.01
• Zinc0.07
• Manganese0.01

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 11.2% Carbs 79.3%

Protein 21.4%

With meat-

Add approximately 130 calories per serving, 6g of fat, 19g protein.