Giro d'Italia '20 - Stage 16: Udine to San Daniele del Friuli
Ben tornato a Friuli! (Welcome back to Friuli!) Today is a big day for a couple of reasons. Today begins the final week of the 2020 Giro d’Italia. Today, I will celebrate a recipe of a well-known chef I’ve watched for years. Finally, today, I will be able to post something with my associated Instagram entry that I’ve been wanting to do for some time, now: “Recipe at the link!” Yes, today I’ve decided to launch my own food blog! It has been quite the endeavor the past few weeks. First, I only just started an Instagram page about 2 months ago. A few weeks ago, I decided to start a blog...in fact, if you’re reading this, you are trapped inside my blog at this very moment, so, I guess I’ve actually completed the next step. This is like some weird space-time continuum stuff right here. Anyway, I’m super proud of this effort. It’s taken a lot of work and design elements courtesy of my amazing fiancé, Megan. She has shown amazing patience with me, especially since I do not speak web-wonkese..it’s an official language, well, it should be. The best testy moments went something like this: “So, what do you want on your blog, what do you want to name the section?” “What do you mean? This WHOLE thing IS my blog!” “Noooo, this section (hovers/circles mouse) is your blog, THIS (moves mouse all over the page) is your page.” I’m still not quite sure I even understand the difference at this point...it’s gonna take some time. But, welcome, take a look around. Just like anything new, we may still be working out some kinks as I write this entry during this morning’s coverage of the race stage.
Speaking of the stage, the riders are climbing through Northeastern Italy, smack dab in the heart of Friuli. This area is known for their prosciutto and hearty country-fare which both feature in today’s dish. Being close to Croatia, I decided to celebrate the work of Lidia Bastianich today. You may know her, and if you don’t, you need to look her up as she has an interesting and successful immigration story and is a fixture in my family, just as much as Jacques Pepin. I was first introduced to her on a quiet weekend in my parent’s house. I was a sophomore in college and plopped down on the sofa, my mother on the other couch, eyes seemingly fixed to the tv. I looked up and there was this prototypical nonna on PBS, cooking like my mother cooked, probably as each of their ancestors cooked: just this quiet, steady, and simple approach. We sat there in a bond of silence and awe. Little did I know we were witnessing the advent of the allure of home-cooking shows. Lidia is a powerhouse with numerous shows under her belt, a bookshelf’s worth of cookbooks, restaurants across the U.S., her partnership with Eataly, and her children are also following the family business, making names for themselves as well. You can still catch her, and if you’re lucky, her family members (including her 99 year old mother!) pretty much any day of the week on PBS.
Lidia grew up near today’s region and I went to her book for today’s regional and stage-specific dish: Friuli-style gnocchi. Gnocchi are super-fun to make. You get to use a potato-ricer. It’s like being a kid and playing with that Play-Doh press all over again! You get to use your hands and make little bite-sized nuggets in the shape of tater tots. You are literally playing with your food after years of being discouraged of the practice! I will end today’s entry just like Lidia ends every one of her shows: “Tutti a tavola a mangiari!” (Everyone to the table to eat!)
Friuli Potato Gnocchi with Prosciutto
Adapted from Lidia’s Italy, Lidia Bastianich
For this recipe, I prefer to get the gnocchi toasty (a little crisp) while finishing their cooking in the brown butter. These came out savory with a slight hint of sweetness. Little pillows of warm hugs with a lightly crisp texture on the outside and dumpling soft interior. It tastes somewhere between the best biscuit, johnnycake, pancake, kinda-french-toast-nutty thing you’ll ever eat in your life. The ricotta adds a necessary tang and the prosciutto resets your palate for the next bite of heaven. You will need a potato ricer to make this dish.
1.5 lbs of russet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup flour (plus more as needed)
1.5 sticks of butter
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup shredded ricotta salata
Prosciutto (optional)
Place the potatoes (with skins on) in a large pot and cover with a few inches of water and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes until just tender, about 25 minutes, and set aside to cool briefly. Carefully peel the potatoes and press them through a potato ricer onto a baking sheet. Gently spread the riced potato into a thin layer and sprinkle on ¾ tsp of salt. Set aside, uncovered, for at least 30 mins, but preferably for a few hours, to allow the potatoes to dry out.
When you are ready to make the gnocchi, bring a large pot of clean, well-salted, water (do not re-use the potato’s boiling water) to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the eggs well to thicken. Dump the potatoes onto your work board, or granite countertop (preferable), into a wide/large mound. Well to the side of the potatoes, dump ⅓ cup of additional flour for easy access. Carefully pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes and sprinkle on 1 cup of flour. Using your hands, combine the ingredients, and knead until it comes together into a ball. This will take a few minutes and things will get stuck to the counter - that’s supposed to happen: scrape up those goodies and get them back into the kneaded ball action - adding additional flour, only as necessary to help things come together. You want a slightly damp/slightly sticky/but cohesive end product.
Cut the dough ball into 4 equal pieces and minimally dust the work surface and your hands with flour. Then, one ball at-a-time, start rolling the ball into a long cylinder (about 1” thick and roughly 18” long). Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut into rough 1.5” nuggets. Set aside on a lightly floured surface and repeat the process with the remaining dough. When all have been cut, melt 9 tbsp of the butter over medium heat until fully melted, the foaming subsides, and the butter starts to brown, giving the pan a few swirls during this process. Add in the remainder of the butter to melt. Drop the gnocchi into the pot of boiling water, giving a gentle stir to ensure none of them stick together.
Once the gnocchi have boiled for about 3 minutes, and rise to the surface, give one a test. When satisfied with the texture/”mouthfeel”, using a slotted spoon or spider spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the pan of brown butter. Stir/toss to coat and let them cook down until lightly crispy on the outside. This will take another 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and grate your cheese. When the gnocchi are done to your liking, serve in a bowl with the brown butter sauce, and sprinkle on the cheese and roughly 2-3 heavy pinches of the cinnamon sugar along with some freshly ground black pepper. Add in largely torn pieces of prosciutto or fold them like a rose. Bring the reserved cinnamon sugar to the table in case anyone wants more.
Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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