my marathon

Today, as many of you know, is the Chicago Marathon.  Runners from all over the country woke bright and early and set off on a course across the Windy City.  Good for you, I say!

Today, as many of you don't know, I had my own marathon...in my kitchen (no surprises there).  While scores of toned athletes were burning off thousands of calories, I was in my kitchen turning thousands of calories into tasty autumnal treats.  Don't laugh, I've been training every bit as hard as those runners, and I have the ill-fitting jeans to prove it.  I've given up sleep and a social life in order to spend upwards of 25 hours a week in intense training.  I've lost blood (darn paring knife) and shed tears (dumb onions).  The only difference I can see is that after all that work, instead of crossing a finish line, I tucked into a big bowl of sweet potato gnocchi with fried sage and brown butter with a side of brussel sprouts braised in white wine and thyme, followed by pumpkin pie with walnut brown sugar topping, and vanilla sweet brown rice pudding.  And after that very last bite, I did indeed feel as though I had just run a marathon. 

Most normal people don't spend the first three hours of their Saturday morning browsing the farmers market.  And most normal people don't then come home and spend the next 7 hours cooking dinner (with breaks along the way for breakfast and lunch, of course).  But then again, most normal people don't love food so much that they read blogs about what other people are eating, so I feel as though I'm in good company here.  And that's why I'm going to share this recipe for homemade sweet potato gnocchi with you.  Even though it takes a painstakingly-long time to form each and every last gnocchi, you fine folks might just be crazy enough to try it.  By the way, I recommend that you do.  It goes even faster and tastes even better if you have some friends helping you.  Nothing is more delightful than spending a chilly fall day in your kitchen, rolling gnocchi with a friend.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Fried Sage and Chestnuts
Adapted from the October 2009 issue of Gourmet

Ingredients
1.25 lb russet or idaho potatoes
.75 lbs. sweet potato
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the gnocchi
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sage leaves
1/3 whole chestnuts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Step one:  Bake potatoes.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Pierce potatoes in several places and bake until tender, about 1 hour.  Peel and cool potatoes, and then mash them until no lumps remain.  Allow potatoes to cool completely.

Step two:  Prepare chestnuts.  While potatoes are baking, score an "X" into the bottom of each chestnut with a paring knife.  Roast or broil chestnuts under high heat until the skins begin to pull away from the "X", about 15 min.  Remove from oven, and peel away outer and inner shells while still hot.  If they cool too  much during this step, reheat and then continue to peel.  Slice chestnuts very thinly.

Step three:  Make dough.  Beat together egg, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Mound potatoes in the middle of a floured sheet pan, and form a well in the center.  Pour egg mixture inside, and knead until incorporated.  Knead in cheese and 1.5 cups of flour.  Add more flour if necessary and knead until the you have a smooth and slightly sticky ball of dough.

Step four:  Form the gnocchi.  Cut the ball of dough into 6 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a rope about 1/2 in. thick, and cut rope into 1/2 in thick pieces.  Roll each piece into a small ball and lightly dust with flour.  Roll each ball down the tines of a fork, so that you have a slightly-cylindrical and grooved gnocchi.  Place each on a baking sheet.

Step five:  Fry sage and chestnuts.  Heat oil in a skillet.  Fry sliced chestnuts until golden, remove from oil and set aside.  Using the same oil, fry sage leaves in 2 batches, leaving them in the oil for about 20-30 seconds a batch.  Transfer to paper towels and season lightly with salt. 

Step six:  Make the sauce.  Add butter to the skillet (without discarding the oil) with about 1/2 tsp salt and cook until golden brown, about two minutes.  Remove from heat.

Step seven:  Boil gnocchi.  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil.  Boil half of gnocchi at a time, adding to the water and stirring.  Cook until they begin to pop up to the surface, about three minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the skillet and coat with the butter sauce.  Heat all gnocchi in a skillet over medium heat, stirring so that it's evenly coated.

Step eight:  Serve.  Place a portion of gnocchi in a bowl.  Top with a few sage leaves and a sprinkling of chestnuts.  Add more grated cheese if desired.

-Adriana

The most comforting of comfort foods

Last night I was needing some comfort, and the obvious first place to look for it was in my kitchen. Rummaging around in my cabinet, I spied the usual suspects: mac & cheese, brownies, my roommate's chips ahoy. "No, no, no, that's not it at all," I found myself lamenting. "Why doesn't my kitchen cabinet understand how I feel?"

And that's when I saw the humble butternut squash resting on the third shelf. During my last weekly shopping trip I had gathered the ingredients for an intriguing recipe that has appeared in my most recently copy of Gourmet. The roasted butternut squash galette had caught my eye, as it reminded me of the best pizza I have ever eaten (butternut squash with asiago, sage, and caramelized onions, which I stumbled upon in a small cafe called Veggie Planet hidden in a Boston suburb.) The recipe looked easy enough for my battered brain to handle, so I retrieved my gourd and went to work.

An hour's work resulted in a pastry that was everything I had hoped and dreamed it would be. A tried and true comfort food. Warming through and through. Having discovered this secret, I wondered if I were now obligated to send roasted butternut squash galettes to each and every person who has had a rough day. I almost wish I could. But since I'm not sure how I would safely send a flakey tart through the United States Postal Service, perhaps I should just tell you how to go about making your own. After all, if you're in need of a bit of comfort, I highly recommend turning to this warm, savory pastry. It has charming goat cheese, lovable sauteed leeks, soothing chopped sage, and sweet butternut squash all baked into a flakey pastry made golden with brushed on eggs. While my dinner didn't and couldn't fix all my troubles, one warm bite was enough to convince me that, in the end, everything was going to be alright.

Roasted Butternut Squash Galette
Adopted from Gourmet Feb. 09

Ingredients - For Pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Ingredients - For Filling
1 (2 lb.) Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 by 1/4 inch slices
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), thickly sliced crosswise
6 oz soft mild goat cheese, crumbled

Step one: Make the dough. If you are short on time, you can always use a pie crust mix instead. That being said, a mix will never ever be as delicious as one you make yourself from good quality butter. Pulse flour, butter, sage, and sea salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. If you do not have a food processor, use a hand-held pastry cutter instead. Drizzle ice water evenly over the mixture and pulse or mix until it just forms a ball. Gently press dough into a 5 inch disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Step two: While dough chills, start your filling. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F with rack in the middle position. Toss squash with sea salt and 1 tablespoon oil and arrange in 1 layer in on a large baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until golden brown on edges and undersides, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove squash from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Step three: Wash leeks, then cook in remaining 2 Tablespoons oil with a pinch of sea salt in a 10 inch heavy skillet over medium heat, partially covered, and stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly. Add squash, goat cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss gently.

Step four: Roll out dough into a 13 inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Transfer to a baking sheet. Arrange filling in an even layer in center of dough, leaving a 2 to 3 inch border. Fold dough in on itself to cover outer rim of filling, pleating dough as necessary. Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake galette until crust is cooked through and golden on edges, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes before serving.