In the Kitchen - Gnocchi with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite Italian dishes is gnocchi - sort of like potato dumplings. I was craving them this weekend, so I decided to try to make them at home. I didn't realize how easy they are to make, but I do have to warn you that it's a bit time consuming. So put on your apron, pour a glass of wine, and be prepared for a delicious meal!
Ingredients:
For the gnocchi:
1.5 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed (about 3 large potatoes)
1 cup all purpose flour (it may actually take about 2 cups)
1 large egg yolk, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
For the mushroom sauce:
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup brandy
parsley
1/4 cup butter (or less)

First, you need to bake the potatoes. Preheat oven to 400F, wash potatoes and pierce them in several places. Bake for about 1 hour or until soft. Take out of the oven and peel - russet potatoes are very easy to peel after baking, so make sure you do that while they are still hot (and don't burn your fingers). Smash the potatoes on a flat surface (a baking sheet or a big plate) and let them cool a bit.
Transfer to a large bowl and add 1 cup flour. Toss them around until coated well. Add the egg, salt and nutmeg in the center of the mixture, and stir with fork until evenly moistened. Transfer mixture onto lightly floured surface. Knead until dough comes together, and feel free to add more flour if dough is very sticky.

 And now, the fun begins! Form dough into a ball and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece between hands and surface into 3/4-inch-thick rope. This will feel very funny on your hands and is a lot of fun to do! Once you have the ropes, cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. Don't pile pieces on top of each other, but spread them around on the surface or on a baking sheet. You don't want them to stick together.

In the meantime, get a big pot of slightly salted water and when it starts to boil, dump the gnocchi into the water. Work in batches - you don't have to cook all of them at once, depending on the size of your pot. They will cook really fast and will start floating on the surface. Stir occasionally, and carefully transfer gnocchi to a bowl using a slotted spoon. The gnocchi are cooked!

Now, on to the creamy mushroom sauce. Melt the butter in a large pan and add the mushrooms and onions. Saute over medium to high heat until mushrooms begin to brown - about 10-12 minutes. Add the whipping cream and the brandy, boil until sauce thickens - another 5-8 minutes. Pour it over the gnocchi and mix well. And voila! My tongue was definitely doing the happy dance!

Do you have any favorite restaurant dishes that you've tried cooking at home?

In the Kitchen - Crêpes

Crepes were always a common item on my mom's menu when I was a kid. She used to make them at least once a week, and when I moved to the States, I was really surprised to discover that they weren't as popular here, but were replaced by pancakes and french toast.
Throughout the years, I've tried different recipes for crepes but I found one recently that really made my taste buds do the happy dance :)

Creperies here offer a large selection of fillers, and the savory crepes seem to be the most popular, with lots of meat and veggies. When I was a kid though, there was only one way to eat crepes, which was the best of it all! With strawberry (or any other type to your liking) jam and feta cheese. Yes, feta cheese! 

And then, we also had a special way to fold the crepe - very similar to folding a burrito: 

Mmm...mmmmm...good! If you've never tried this sweet and savory combination for your crepe filling, here's a chance to be blown away! As I always like to say, everything is better with feta :) The only other filling that's pretty high on my list is Nutella of course, but that deserves another post in itself.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons melted butter
butter for coating
Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse for 10 seconds. Make sure everything is well mixed. Place batter in the fridge for about an hour to allow the bubbles to subside. You can also keep the batter for up to 48 hours.
Heat a non-stick pan (I use a 8 or 9-inch pan) and add some butter to coat. Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook the other side for another 20 seconds - or until ready. It will be pretty obvious when the crepes are ready. Continue until batter is gone. Depending on the size of your pan, the batter can make up to 20 crepes. It's always a little tricky to figure out the perfect amount of batter for one crepe, so you can test it out for the first couple of crepes and see what works best for your pan.

Bon Appetit!

In the Kitchen - Sunday Brunch

This weekend I decided to do something different for brunch. In addition to our usual eggs and bacon meal, my boyfriend suggested biscuits and gravy, and since I'd never had it before, I took the challenge. I made everything from scratch and...voila!

Although this might be a very popular breakfast dish in many households, and especially in the South, it was a completely new experience to me, so I wanted to share the recipe :)
Ingredients:
1 package buttermilk biscuit mix (I used Bisquick)
2 Italian sausages - the spicy ones give the gravy a nice kick!
1/2 cup diced white onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 sprigs chopped parsley
4 tbsp white flour
4 cups milk
salt and pepper to season
Preparation:
In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic till slightly crispy and add the sausage to brown as well. In the meantime, follow the package directions to get the biscuits started. While they're baking in the oven, mix the milk, pepper, salt and flour in a bowl and whisk. Once the sausage is done, keep whisking the mixture as you pour it into the skillet. Turn the heat up to high and keep stirring the gravy until it starts to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium, add the parsley and continue cooking and stirring until the gravy thickens - it only takes a few minutes. The biscuits should also be ready around the same time.

Bon Appetit!