Pumpkin Gnocchi with Cranberry Walnut Pesto

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Cranberry-Walnut Pesto

The first truly delicious gnocchi I ate was at a random trattoria in Genoa.  Those lithe pillows swimming in pesto were the start of a love affair.

Two years ago, we spent eight months in Buenos Aires.  Italian roots run deep in Argentina so while there is plenty of beef with chimichurri there is also amazing pasta.  Every neighborhood has their "pasta joint" which sells fresh pasta.   I found the world's best gnocchi not to mention incredible agnolotti on the corner of Soler and Dorrego in Palmero Hollywood.  The traditional potato version was delicious. But nothing compared their heavenly gnocchi de calabaza (pumpkin gnocchi).  We must have eaten hundreds during our stay.

Organic Cabernet from Argentina

Nowadays, if I need a gnocchi de calabaza fix I can't run to the corner and pick it up.  Those days are gone.  All cravings have to be satisfied with my own cooking know how.  So I did a little research and discovered a Pumpkin Gnocchi with Cranberry Walnut Pesto recipe on Would Rather Gather's blog.   Not only is it delicious but it is also vegan.  You can see how it went below;











The key to this recipe is having the dough remain a bit ooey-gooey.  A more solid dough will yield tough heavy gnocchis.  So stick close to the flour amounts provided and resist temptation to add much more. 

I boiled the gnocchi and then transferred to a pan for a quick sear.  Then mixed it with the pesto.  Viola it was ready to serve with a wonderful organic wine.   

This is an incredibly tasty recipe that I can't recommend enough.  It has the added bonus of being vegetarian, vegan so wonderful even meat-eating pals would pronounce it a satisfying meal. 

This year we'll be eating this for Thanksgiving with simple green salad and a meringue topped cranberry curd tart.  But that will be a future post all it's own.    

Granola Goodness - Recipe

Our house runs on granola. It is a healthy versatile snack that travels easily and makes a great gift.

This holiday season I plan to give granola as gifts.  A portion of today's batch is headed to the home of a dear friend who just had her second child earlier this week.  Normally, we give frozen meals but I thought a hearty snack might come in just as handy.  

Another plus is that you can share granola with just about everyone, especially vegan friends. I like to refer to my recipe as vegan friendly which is a little silly.  It isn't as if there are people out there making granola with ground beef or spare ribs. Though with the current bacon craze you never know.   

My point is that this is why I love my homemade granola, it can feed just about anyone.  It is loaded with healthy ingredients that qualify it as pure nutritional gold but so also damn yummy it'll have you lickin' your fingers and asking for more.  I've shared batches with friends and neighbors and all have asked for the recipe.  I have yet to share it until today.

Boo's Granola (Need a Better Name)

Dried pineapple & peanut butter

. 

Dry Ingredients 
8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups sugar (optional - without sugar it has a cleaner taste)

Additions 
1/2 cup of any or all the following - shredded coconut, slivered almonds, flax seeds, raisins, dried pineapple, apricots, dried cranberries, wheat germ or anything else that tickles your fancy

Wet Mix 
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses (decrease or optional - this is gives a deeper flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and oil baking baking sheets.  I use a canola spray to use as little oil as possible.  Please note this is not the canola oil listed in the wet ingredients.

The wet mixture before heating

Combine all wet ingredients in a small saucepan and warm the mixture then whisk until smooth.

Combine the two mixtures

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and combine with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.  I also like to use my hands to make sure they are clumpy pieces.

Bake all the granola at the same time

Spread evenly in the baking sheets.  Ensure you have single layers so that pieces cook evenly.

Bake for 3 hours or until lightly browned and crunchy.  I rotate the baking sheets every 45-60 minutes.  To test that the granola remove a small piece and allow to cool.  Then taste it is crunchy then it is ready.

Allow to cool and store in airtight containers. 

I am gifting some of this batch in a glass juice jar.  Not only this a yummy and healthy gift but now environmentally friendly too.  Trifecta!

The perfect gift.

On a side note, I've been struggling for months to come up with a good name for my granola.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  

  

 

Sunday Brunch or What to do With Leftover Polenta

Italian Eggs Bendicto

It is the question that eternally plagues home chefs - what to do with leftovers that are too yummy to toss.  I was faced with dilemma after overestimating how hungry my husband and stepson would be after a morning of surfing.

The hubby came up with the brilliant idea of making an egg dish.  We both love brunch and Eggs Benedict.  But as vegetarians yummy brunch classics rarely pass our lips these days.  So those bare polenta cakes screamed Eggs Benedicto!   


Eggs Benedicto

3 polenta cakes
2  tbs olive oil

Tomato-Basil Topping 
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 small clove of garlic minced
Splash of water
3 tbs fresh basil in chiffonade
**If you don't know how to chiffonade click here**
Salt and pepper to taste. 

3 eggs 

Heat the olive oil in non-stick frying pan on med-high heat..  When hot add polenta cakes and cook until a golden crust with toast points are on both sides.  Remove and place aside in a dish.  Keep warm.

Reduce to medium heat.  Add onions and cook for two minutes.  Add oil if needed.  Next add garlic, tomato and water.  Salt and pepper to taste.  When the tomatoes are visibly cooked add the basil place.  Cook 10-15 more seconds then place in a bowl and keep warm.

Wipe out the pan.  And prepare as you like to fry the eggs.  Cook the eggs over easy.  The key to this dish is a lovely runny yolk.   

Assemble the dish.  Place the polenta then add the egg and top with the tomato-basil topping.   You can also used poached eggs and/or top with Parmesan cheese.

To make vegan friendly simply remove the eggs. 

Tropical Vanilla Mango Jam

Laundry basket full of mangoes

 When Maria Von Trapp, then Sister Maria, sang about her favorite things she forgot to mention homemade mango jam.  Granted it was World War II Austria where mangoes weren't likely to be a popular fruit.  And there was the rise of the Third Reich and that fact that the problem known as Maria was fictional.  But I firmly believe had she known she would have found a way to rhyme to mango jam with raindrops, kittens and warm woolen mittens. 

  

Monty guarding my precious mangoes

 My mango jam adventure started as Costa Rica's mango season was winding down.  Warm sunny days started to give way to rainy gray skies and roadside fruit stands were desperate to sell quickly ripening mangoes.  Signs offered crates of mangoes for $5 US dollars.  I can't resist a yummy ripe mango or a bargain.  So I bought crate and dreamed of all the goodies I could make.

As it turns out a basket of mangoes can go pretty far.  I made jam, fruit parfaits, pies and smoothies.  But the Tropical Vanilla Mango Jam was the best.  Like bottled sunshine.   

 Tropical Vanilla Mango Jam

Ingredients:

• 6 cups semi-ripe or ripe mango slices

• 2 cups water

• 3 cups granulated sugar   

**( I decreased it to 2 cups and cooked slightly longer)

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Chopped mangoes at a boil

 Combine the mango slices and water in a saucepan and boil over moderate heat for 15 minutes, until the mangoes are tender. 

Pureeing mangoes in the pan with immersion blender

Press this mixture through a sieve, or process in an electric blender or food processor until smooth.   

I opted to use my handy-dandy immersion blender.  So there was no fussing with moving boiling hot fruit to a blender or food processor.  If you don't have an immersion blender a potato masher would be just as effective. 

Adding raw sugar

Return to the saucepan and add the sugar and vanilla extract.

Mangoes with sugar and vanilla boiling

 Boil for 30 to 40 minutes, until thick and the proper consistency for a jam

The delicious finished product

Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.  Let cool then store in refrigerator and/or give as gifts.  The jam should be consumed within 4 weeks.