The North American version of Valentine’s Day has become very commercial – chocolates, flowers, expensive cards. Many other countries have followed suit and are doing the same things. But there are love traditions around the world that have withstood the onslaught of Hallmark and Hershey’s.
If you’ve come to regard gnocchi as stodgy or heavy, you aren’t alone. Many North Americans do, but they haven’t tried the light as a feather versions made in Calabria. Of course, Calabrians have a distinct advantage; their potatoes are delicious and have an almost sweet flavour. But any really good potatoes can be turned into these delicious pasta pillows. One trick is to score the surface of the gnocchi so they cook more quickly without becoming soggy.
Our local Soverato friend Antonio D’Ippolito is a helpful travel agent and terrific tour organizer who likes to cook in his spare time. This is one of his specialties and the photos are of him preparing his own gnocchi.
Boil the potatoes in enough cold water to cover them and simmer. Remove from heat when fork tender. Drain the potatoes, and when cool, peel them. Ideally, use a potato ricer but failing this, mash them very well, until there are no lumps.
On a lightly floured surface, add the egg to the mashed potatoes and then add the flour and salt. Mix with your hands until moistened; the dough will be crumbly but will begin to clump. Gather the dough together and knead gently for about a minute until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft, smooth, and a little sticky. Over-kneading will make the gnocchi tough. Move the dough to one side on the floured surface and cover with a clean kitchen towel.Spread parchment over two large rimmed baking sheets sprinkle lightly with flour.
Clean off and lightly re-flour your work surface. Tear off a piece of dough about the size of your fist and put the towel back to prevent the remaining dough from drying out. Roll it into a rope about 2 cm in diameter.
With a sharp knife cut the rope crosswise every 3 cm to make the gnocchi. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheets. Repeat until you run out of dough. Using a fine cheese grater, press gently on the surface of the gnocchi to score them. This is one of the secrets of really good gnocchi.
Drop gnocchi in small batches in boiling salted water for just a minute – until they rise to the surface. Scoop out.
Make your favourite tomato sauce and drop the gnocchi into it for a superb Italian supper. And don’t forget the grating of good Parmigiano for the top.
Longfellow’s Acadian heroine Evangeline stands in Port Royal.
In 1605, Sieur de Mons and his cartographer, Samuel de Champlain, began the first settlement of Port Royal. This is the oldest settlement in North America apart from St. Augustine, Fla.
The beauty of the Bay of Fundy and its sheltered harbour had long been known to the Mi’kmaq people who had lived here for centuries. The French and Mi’kmaq began a long and enduring friendship in the land that became known as Acadie, possibly from the classical name, Arcadia – a place of lasting peace. And the French settlers here were Acadians. Continue reading
The venerable Empress Hotel dominates the waterfront in Victoria.
Delicious sunshine makes this the perfect day to explore this beautiful city on two wheels. I set out to see if Victoria, British Columbia lives up to its moniker of most bike friendly city in Canada. Just a short block from the harbour with its iconic views of the provincial parliament buildings and the Empress Hotel, Shawn, one of the owners of The Pedaler, fits us out with comfortable bikes and mandatory helmets. And we’re off on our tour. Continue reading
I started making Christmas cookie canes when my children were little. They were my alternative to pure sugar candy canes; we even hung them on the tree. There’s just one cup of icing sugar in 48 cookies! My kids loved them and they continue to be a favourite with my grandchildren.
They are undoubtedly fiddly to make, but well worth the effort. And when the children are a little older, they can help make them. They actually enjoy rolling the little pieces of dough into snakes, though they may need help twining them.
By the way, I make the dough in my Cuisinart food processor. When I add food colouring to half the dough, I use the Cuisinart to blend the colour into the dough. It makes the whole job soooo much easier and faster. The time-consuming bit is dividing the red dough and the plain dough each into 48 small lumps. Note: start by dividing each colour ball into quarters and divide each quarter into 12 small balls and roll these before starting on the next quarter. Working on one at a time prevents the remaining dough from drying out while you roll.
RECIPE
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Mix the butter, shortening and sugar very well. Add the egg and flavouring and blend well. Finally, blend in flour and salt. Divide the dough in half and colour half with the red colour.
Divide each colour into four equal balls. Each ball should produce 12 teaspoon-sized pieces of dough.
Roll one red and one plain piece into snakes, then entwine the snakes to form a cookie cane with a curve. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet to bake for 9 minutes. DO NOT brown. Cool on a rack. Enjoy!
