Heart-Beet Gnocchi

I don't remember exactly where I saw these gnocchi. It could have been on a cooking show. In a magazine article. On Pinterest. Or one of the many food blogs I look at every night. I don't even remember the exact recipe except that they were made with ricotta. What I do know is that I couldn't wait to make them!
And guess what? I made them just for me for lunch. Crazy! Right? But I'm worth it! Hahaha. I mean I did have lots of leftovers. I didn't boil all the gnocchi, just enough for one. This recipe easily feeds 4 people. I'm going to save the rest for my nieces and my nephew, Nicholas who LOVES gnocchi!
Please don't be intimidated with homemade pasta. These are super easy. From start to finish, it took one hour. And I mean I was eating them within an hour.
I'm calling these Heart-Beet Gnocchi for the obvious reasons: they are red and I think they would make a wonderful Valentines day meal.
I made these with brown butter and grated parmesan cheese. Normally I would have added fresh sage to the butter but my sage is buried in my garden under 5 feet of snow.
You can make these with a tomato sauce, a meat sauce or a cream sauce. Whatever floats your boat!
I really hope you try making these!

Heart-Beet Gnocchi

1 lb full fat ricotta
1 1/2- 2 cups flour
1 large egg
2 small beets (a little bigger than an egg), roasted, peeled and cooled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Place the beets in a food processor and puree. In a bowl mix together the pureed beets, ricotta, egg, salt and nutmeg. Start by adding 1 1/2 cups of the flour first. You might need more if your beets are a little bigger, which is no big deal, just add more flour.

Try not to over mix or the gnocchi will be tough.
Once the dough has come together, place on a floured surface and gently work until you have a soft ball adding additional flour so the dough is not too sticky.
Flatten the ball into a disc, about an inch thick, making sure your surface is always lightly floured.

Cut into 1 inch strips and roll using fingers of both hands to form a rope.

Once you have the rope, with a sharp knife, cut into 1 inch pieces.

Now take that gnocchi and place your thumb on it and gently push down and away from you. It essentially creates a little groove for the sauce to adhere to.

As you continue rolling, cutting and forming the gnocchi, make sure you place them on a lightly floured tray.

At this point you can refrigerate them until you are ready to cook.
Bring a big pot of water to a boil and salt liberally or as Mario Batali likes to say, it should taste like the sea. Drop in the gnocchi and stir carefully. They will be at the bottom of the pot but as soon as they all come up, they are ready.

Drain and add brown butter and parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Brown Butter 

Brown butter or beurre noisette is literally translated, hazelnut butter. It's butter that is cooked until it is brown. What you are doing is toasting the milk solids and developing a deep nutty flavour.
To make brown butter, simply melt unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Preferably stainless steel so you can see the butter change colour. Continue until it boils and begins to brown. There will be specks at the bottom of the pan, those are the milk solids. That's what you want. It's ready when it is a dark, honey colour. Take off the heat and throw in the gnocchi.
You can use this butter on so many things like fish and steamed vegetables. Even sweet dishes like cakes and cookies. Yummy!

m xo

Quinoa Stir Fried "Rice" with Baby Kale

I made this stir fry using quinoa instead of rice. I like that it has more protein than rice therefore more satisfying. I made my quinoa the day of but if you have any leftover, definitely use it! I made my stir fry a little spicy too. Adjust to your liking.
I used baby kale but if you can't find it or don't like kale, feel free to use baby spinach.
I find a bowl of this stir fry to be very comforting.

Quinoa Stir Fry with Baby Kale

2 cups cooked quinoa
2 eggs, beaten
4 generous handfuls of baby kale
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 small red hot chilies, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
sesame oil

Heat a wok or nonstick pan with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Pour in eggs and cook until it sets up. You can scramble or leave it as an omelet, it doesn't matter because it's going to break up when you incorporate it back into the stir fry. Transfer to a plate.
Heat another tablespoon of sesame oil and drop in kale and cook until wilted. Remove from the pan.
Place the pan over high heat with another tablespoon of sesame oil. When hot, add the onions, garlic, chilies, ginger and carrots. Stir constantly for 30 seconds. Stir in quinoa, cooked eggs, kale, soy sauce and hoisin. Cook for another 30 seconds. Ready to serve. I like to sprinkle on a few sesame seeds to finish.

m xo

Roasted Carrot Soup

Wow! My cold is still hanging around. Feel much better but there are still lingering symptoms. Anyway, a girl still has to eat and I've been really wanting to make a carrot soup especially with this polar vortex (huh!!)  that we have been experiencing.
I decided to roast the carrots because it gives the soup more depth and flavour. Plus the cumin adds a nice smokiness to the soup. This is pretty easy to put together and delicious! The addition of the pistachios and greek yogurt adds a little bit of protein…and it looks so pretty. That's totally up to you, it's just as good without it.
I made this with chicken stock but you could totally make it with vegetable stock to make it vegetarian.

 Roasted Carrot Soup 

2 lbs carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
1 red onion, quartered
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbl olive oil

Olive oil
1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
5 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 orange
Greek yogurt, optional
Chopped pistachios, optional

Preheat oven to 450F. On a sheet tray combine the carrots, onion, cumin, salt and olive oil. Lay the carrots in a single layer and roast for 35 minutes.
In a pot sauté leeks in olive oil for 15 minutes then add the garlic. The leeks take a little longer to cook and if you add the garlic too soon, it could burn it. Add the coriander and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add the roasted carrots, stock and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Blitz the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Serve in soup bowls and dollop with Greek yogurt and a few pistachios.

 

Stay healthy!

m xo

Nigella's Sambuca Kisses

I haven't had a chance to be in the the kitchen for the past few days. I've been under the weather. Nothing serious, just a really bad sinus infection, but I woke up Super Bowl Sunday feeling a little better after being in bed 3 days  and wanted to make a little something to bring to my sister who lives next door. One of the perks of living next door to my sister Antonella is that I can call over and she sends me care packages like turkey soup or blueberry muffins. She's always cooking and baking up a storm because she has 3 kids.
I've been wanting to make these fritters since I saw Nigella make them on her show. They are from her cookbook, Nigellissima. They are super easy to make and take no effort at all.
Not exactly Super Bowl fare but a very nice snack to go with my afternoon espresso.
I had to make these twice because my husband made the mistake of buying reduced fat ricotta. No bueno! They weren't as fluffy and had no taste in my opinion. Poor guy had to go out again for ricotta.

 Sambuca Kisses
(from Nigella Lawson's "Nigellissima" cookbook)

1 egg
1/2 cup full fat ricotta
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sambuca liqueur
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
vegetable or canola oil for frying
powdered sugar to serve

In a bowl mix together egg and ricotta. Add flour, baking powder, sambuca, sugar and orange zest. Beat until combined. Nigella says to heat oil until you drop a little piece of bread in and it frizzles.. You only need a couple inches of oil. Drop in teaspoon sizes of batter. No more than 4-5 at a time and you want to keep an eye on them so the oil doesn't get too hot. They are ready when they are golden. Drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when ready to serve. These are best served warm. So good.

m xo

Tuna Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

I need rehab...from Costco! I'm there practically every other day. I can't help myself. I don't even know if I'm saving money. Probably not but I know I'll never run out of toilet paper...and tuna steaks! Hence this recipe. It's adapted from a recipe of Jamie Oliver's that I came across awhile ago. The only thing I would do different with this recipe is maybe soak the breadcrumbs in milk to give them a little moisture. I served these with steamed broccoli but of course they would be really good with any pasta.

Tomato Sauce

olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small red chili or chili flakes
crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper

For tomato sauce, saute onion, garlic and chili's in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Tuna Meatballs

15oz fresh tuna steaks
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
zest of a lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
handful parsley, chopped

In the meantime, make the tuna meatballs. Chop tuna steaks into half inch cubes. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and let the mixture sit for half an hour. Form into 2 inch balls. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs. This might have to be done in batches because you don't want to crowd the pan.  Place the tuna meatballs in the tomato sauce, simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

m xo

My new mug with Fresh Cranberry, Lemon, Lime Scones

I came home from work the other day and my husband had a surprise for me! Who doesn't like surprises?! 
He got me a coffee mug with MY cucinamarisa logo on it. He is so adorable! He has been so supportive and patient with my new blogging adventure. Example: I'll serve the dish that I'm about to blog and the poor man is just about to dig in and I'll yell "STOP!". I forgot to photograph the recipe. Hahaha! I would find this very difficult  without his encouragement.
And then of course there are all the computer challenges. He's teaching me as I go along and I have to say I'm really enjoying it. It's given me another creative outlet although I still have a lot to learn.
  I really wanted to show off my new mug with you guys but I couldn't just take a picture of it sitting all by itself. How boring would that be? So I decided to bake these scones.
 I had seen this particular recipe on the blog Joy The Baker and I liked it because A: it was easy and B: I had a huge bag of fresh cranberries that I bought at Costco. Also, they are not too sweet. Perfect with a cup of tea. 

Fresh Cranberry, Lemon, Lime Biscuits

3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg,  lightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk  (I used almond milk)
1 cup fresh cranberries
zest of a lemon  (I also used the zest of a lime)

milk to brush the tops of scones before baking
sugar to sprinkle on before baking

Preheat oven 400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter until it looks like little peas. I use my hands for this but you have to be quick because the butter has to stay cold. Thats what makes them flaky. Lightly beat the egg and milk and add to flour mixture until combined. Fold in zest and cranberries.
Turn out on floured board, pat it together and roll with a rolling pin to 1 inch thickness. Cut out  2 inch rounds. I used a glass for this. Place on baking sheet. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Serve warm. Yummy.

m xo

Chickpea Bread with Fennel, Cabbage, Celery Salad

If you have never tried chickpea bread before, you must try it. I feel in love with this street food when we went to Florence a few years ago. It's not your typical bread as it has no leavening agent. It's gluten-free, protein and fiber filled AND so easy to make. When it comes out of the oven it should be crispy on the outside. Tonight we had it with a salad but I also like to serve it with aperitifs alongside some chunks of parmesan cheese drizzled with honey. 

I didn't give you quantities for the salad. That all depends on you. Whatever you like. Or don't like. 

 I'm not a huge fan of raw onions or raw garlic for that matter, so that's why I like to soak the onion slices in water for about 15 minutes. I find it mellows it out a bit. 

Chickpea Bread

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a bowl whisk together chickpea flour, salt and water. Add olive oil and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Coat a 10 inch pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil and pour in batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.

In the meantime, make the salad.

Salad

Chinese napa cabbage. shredded
Fennel bulb, thinly sliced
Celery, thinly sliced
Parsley, leaves picked off the stems
Grapes, halved
Slivered almonds, toasted
Shallot, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water
Shaved parmesan cheese

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients for the salad and drizzle on the dressing. Top with shaved parmesan cheese.

m xo