This week's platter of petite, potato pillows coated with a delicious fontina cheese sauce is beautiful! For first timers, Gnocchi is not for the faint of heart but Allrecipe's cook, Lynn, makes it seem easy! Her gnocchi is sooooo tender, smooth, and just melts in your mouth. There's nothing like real, homemade gnocchi - soft and pillowy but still as stout and sturdy as you'd expect. Additionally, we enjoy Capicola Canapes, an easy, delicious appetizer using spicy capicola and fresh basil!
View Lynn's Gnocchi Recipe >>>
View Lynn's Capicola Canapes Recipe >>>
For a recipe on how to create your own Gnocchi, CLICK HERE!
This week's Allrecipes' cook, Lynn, is a Long Beach, California native with deep roots in the community. Her sisters live nearby and Lynn is known for cooking meals for the entire family. A member of AR since 2002, Lynn credits Allrecipes as a tremendous resource and loves the rating/reviewing feature.
About the time she turned 18, Lynn learned the basics of cooking and began to expand her food knowledge by reading cookbooks for pleasure. I know, right? When not entertaining and cooking for friends or family, she loves gardening or can be found enjoying the outdoors on skis, both on water and on the slopes. On Sundays, you'll likely find her at the local Farmers Market which provides inspiration in her kitchen.
Lynn definitely has a "joie de vivre" and her joy of life is no more evident that when she's cooking and entertaining for family and friends.
Q: Lynn's Recipe calls for refrigerated gnocchi. Does that make a difference?
A: No, they can be freshly made, cooked and then add your sauce of choice.
Q: Can the gnocchi be made in advance and used?
A: Yes, you can make your gnocchi and freeze for a later date to use. Suggested packaging in 1 pound portions as most recipes call for this quantity.
Q: If using frozen gnocchi, do you defrost before cooking?
A: No, take your gnocchi directly from the freezer to the boiling pot of water.
Q: What if I do not have time to make my own gnocchi?
A: Prepackaged is more widely available today so check your local grocer's refrigerator section where fresh pasta is kept, or a visit to a specialty food store may carry it as well.
Q: What is capicola and where can you find it?
A: Capicola or also known as "Coppa" is an Italian cured meat that is best served at room temperature and thinly sliced. Great served on a antipasti platter, in a sandwich or in a main dish with pasta.
Q: Is there a preference for the type of fontina cheese to use?
A: Fontina is one of Italy's great cheeses; a semi-firm yet creamy cheese that's made of cow's milk. Also made in Denmark, USA and France.
"I have made a lot of mistakes falling in love, and regretted most of them, but never the potatoes that went with them." ~ Nora Ephron
Long Beach, California is one giant playground located right in the heart of Southern California. Here you can experience it all from a deep sea adventure at the Aquarium of the Pacific right on the bay to a voyage in time aboard the historic Queen Mary. The city is a dominant maritime center of the United States and was recently named "Aquatic Capital of the Nation." It is here along the waterfront, that I first met up with Allrecipes' cook, Lynn.
With the historic Queen Mary behind us, Lynn, a Long Beach native, quickly filled me in on the history of the area. I'd been to Long Beach a few times before, and it was great getting a local's perspective of the area. From there, we headed to Lynn's kitchen for a bit of Italian flavor!
Today, we were going to be making Gnocchi (pronounced Knee-Oh-Key). I immediately queried her about the old myth that homemade gnocchi has to be labor-intensive and time-consuming. She confirmed that while they may not be for the faint of heart, once mastered, they we quite simple to create. I had to admit that prior to this experience, I'd never had gnocchi. My Corpus callosum had done quite well until this moment keeping pasta and potatoes to their separate halves of my brain. Jumping ahead to the finished product, including the delish fontina sauce, I was wrong. Ok, I said it. These gnocchi were heaven on a plate...velvet cushions of flavor...pillowy perfection! Additionally, she made here quick and easy Capicola Canapes which were incredible!
Douglas Adams ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") was crystal clear when he wrote, "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." However, Lynn's creation comes danged close. I will surely try to replicate her fluffy, cloud-like gnocchi and if you have never prepared your own gnocchi, this is your moment! Give it a go!
I will close with a quick call from John Tyler Pettee:
"Pray for peace and grace and spiritual food,
For wisdom and guidance, for all these are good,
but don't forget the potatoes."
562CityLife.com
562CityLife.com is a social networking site serving Long Beach and providing member based information on local businesses, social events, and news.
The Queen Mary
The majestic QUEEN MARY SM offers you the chance to step back in time aboard one of the most famous ocean liners in history. Going back to the days where steamships were the quickest and most elegant way to travel, THE QUEEN MARY was the first choice for the elite of high society.
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