The parmesan gnocchi I made the other night turned out wonderfully – light, pillowy cushions of cheese and potato pasta sautéed in olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, and  garlic.  I did not turn out the prettiest of gnocchi, the cheese made them a little chunkier then usual, but the flavors all checked out. I added more eggs to my gnocchi then I would usually use to help bind in the cheese.  I also selected a hard cheese that would not add to much moisture, but had a stronger flavor.  A little bit goes a long way when using an aged parmesan, but the flavor is still subtle enough to not overpower the potatoes.  For a sharper flavor you may want to try an asiago.  A project for another day.

Cheese Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 3 Potatoes (medium sized)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago (or another sharp, hard Italian cheese)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 Eggs (room temp)
• 1 1/2 cups Flour

Directions:

1. Prepare the potatoes:
   1. One of the keys to making light gnocchi is to use as little flour as possible, which means that you want to keep things as dry as possible.  Generally, when a recipe requires cook potatoes I head for the boiling water, but in the case of gnocchi, I have found the microwave is the best way to go.  The microwave will draw some of the moisture out of the potatoes, ergo, less flour.  Microwave your potatoes.
   2. Allow your potatoes to cool fully.
   3. Remove the potato skins.
   4. Grate your potatoes or run them through a ricer.  The potatoes should be slightly mushy anyways.
2.  Add the eggs and cheese to your potatoes using your hand to mush it together.
3. Add about a 1 1/2 cups of flour to your potatoes, remembering that when it comes to flour and gnocchi, less is more.  You want to add just enough flour to form a light, slightly sticky dough, but not a heavy, solid dough.
4. Allow your dough to rest, while covered, for about 1/2 a hour to activate the gluten.  The gluten will work to hold the dough together, and give it some structure.
5. Form the gnocchi:
   1. Use your hands to roll the dough out into long logs. Dusting with flour as needed, but once again sparingly.
   2. Use a sharp knife to cut the logs into evenly portioned gnocchi.
6. Allow your gnocchi sit out and dry for about a hour before cooking.

Sun-dried Tomatoes and Garlic

Ingredients:

• 2-4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 cloves of minced Garlic
• 1/4 cup small diced Sun-dried Tomatoes
• 1-2 tbsp Sun-dried Tomato juice (canned sun-dried tomatoes usually come packed in oil, that is what I mean by sun-dried tomato juice.  If you are using sun-dried tomatoes that were not packed in liquid, it may be a good idea to rehydrate them in water for a hour or two before use.)
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. Heat up a large non-stick or cast iron skillet with a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom.
2. Once the pan is sufficiently hot, add in half of the gnocchi.  Do not over crowd the pan or the gnocchi might begin to stick together.
3. Cook the gnocchi for a couple of minutes until it’s a light golden brown.
4. Sprinkle in half of the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, along with a splash of the sun-dried tomato juice, and give it a quick toss about the pan.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Sauté everything together for another minute or two.  Keep a watch on the garlic, you do not want it to burn and get bitter.
7. Remove the gnocchi form the skillet, and repeat the entire process with the second half.