I've just returned from an oh so lovely and restful trip to Montreal. I am pleased to report that I accomplished my two goals of the vacation: cook up a storm and hang with my aunt and uncle's pet pugs. Here is the documentation of said accomplishments!
A vegetarian summer delight:
First on the menu was sweet potato gnocchi. Technically this is more of a winter's dish than a summertime one, but frankly I just needed me some comfort food. I paired the gnocchi's with a light tomato and herb sauce and it turned out to be quite refreshing.
Sweet potato gnocchi:
2 sweet potatos, baked then pushed through a potato ricer
1 small potato, baked then pushed through a potato ricer
1/4 cup of labna (thick middle-eastern yoghurt) or ricotta cheese (strained)
1/4 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
2 cups of flour
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients except flour, season to taste.
Add flour a 1/4 cup at a time, and knead until the mixture resembles a dough. Feel free to add more or less flour depending on the texture of the pasta. It should be sticky, but not too sticky to handle.
Take a handful of dough and roll the gnocchi out into a long rope. Use bench flour to avoid the dough from sticking to the surface you are working on.
Cut the rope into one inch pieces. Roll each piece in some semolina. This will help the gnocchi from sticking and will give each dumpling a lovely texture.
Press your thumb into the center of each gnocchi to create a well.
Place the gnocchi on a thin wire rack to dry until you are ready to cook them.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the gnocchi in batches. They are finished cooking when they float.
Transfer gnocchi to a large sautee pan.
Add some olive oil and butter.
Add half a diced tomato, 2 green onions (thinly sliced), orange zest, julienned basil, savory and a splash of white wine.
Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
Serve with fresh parmesan.
Next I made a tomato pie:
In an uncooked pie shell, spread dijon mustard. Add a uniform layer of caramelized onions to cover the dijon. Overlay with thinly sliced cooked potato. Fill the shell decoratively by overlapping thick slices of ripe tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper and fresh lemon zest. Egg-wash the crust and pop the pie in an oven set to 425 degrees (preferably on a convection setting and positioned near the top of the oven). After 15 minutes at this heat, turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for another 45 minutes or until the crust is cooked through and browned. About 15 minutes before the pie is done, sprinkle sliced aged goat cheese wildly on the top.
TA DA!
Give the pie a zest of fresh lemon and serve...
...with brussel sprouts!
I roasted these for 15 minutes at 375 degrees and then tossed them with a cranberry-pistachio pesto recipe I obtained from http://steamykitchen.com/.
1/2 cup pistachio
1/2 cup dried cranberry
1/2 cup parsley leaves
salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic
Blend these ingredients with a hand blender or cuisinart.
Slowly add olive oil while blending until mixture resembles pesto!
Finish with strawberry-apple pie
7 royal gala apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
pinch of fresh nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of lemon zest
Combine apples with rest of ingredients and place in pie shell.
Top with strawberry butter (reduce 1 tbsp. of butter, 1/2 pint of thinly sliced strawberries and some salt in a saucepan until it the mixture obtains a thick consistency).
Crimp the top crust into the pie, egg-wash it, sprinkle on some sugar and slice an 'X' into the top for ventilation. Cook for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. After that lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another hour. Let the pie rest for at least an hour after baking so that the juices can thicken.
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