Nudi Dumplings or Malfatta

I make a lot of home made gnocchi and finally decided to branch out to Nudi sometimes referred to as Malfatta.   Nudi dumplings are basically the inside of a ravioli and are super easy to make.  They also go fantastic with Sunday Gravy.

Ingredients: 15 ounces Ricotta, 1 box frozen thawed and drained spinach (really squeeze the water out), 2 egg yolks, about 1/3-1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, dash of nutmeg along with a little salt & pepper.

Mix everything in a bowl except the flour.  Start adding the flour in by the large spoonful until the dough comes together. You may need a little  more or less flour depending on the humidity.  Roll small balls of the dough in your hand and place on a floured surface.  It's easier if you flour your hands first.  My nudi ended up slightly smaller than golf balls.  I made around 2 dozen.

Drop the balls in salted boiling water.  After they start to float let them cook a bit more.  I served mine with Sunday Gravy and some cheesy toasty bread.

Sopa Seca

I'm always looking for easy ways to use up leftovers.  A while back a came across a recipe for Sopa Seca which is a turkey noodle Mexican casserole. 

Ingredients: Olive Oil, 12 ounces fideos, 1 medium onion chopped, 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 can Ro-Tel canned tomatoes (feel free to sub diced tomatoes), 2-4 finely minced chiles in adobo sauce,  1.5 cups of chicken or turkey stock (I used the leftover frozen turkey stock I had), 2 cups shredded chicken or turkey, 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese.

Spices:  One teaspoon each of the following: coriander, cumin, chili powder, garlic granules, onion granules, salt & pepper and oregano along with 2 bay leaves and 2 tablespoons of tomato powder.

In a large sauce pan heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Toast the fideos and then place on a plate for later.   Your going to want to toss them around the pan with some tongs being careful not to burn them.  The goal is just light toasted color on some of the noodles.

In the same pan add a little more oil and add the onion.  Cook until translucent.  Then add the spice blend and cook until nice and fragrant.  This should only take 30-60 seconds.  Next add in the tomatoes and chiles in adobo sauce.  Simmer for about 5 mins to thicken up.   Then add in the broth & fideo.  Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the shredded chicken or turkey.  Mix to combine.  Pour everything into a greased casserole and top with some shredded cheese.

At this point you can cover and store for 2 days or just pop it into a 375 oven for 25-35 minutes.  I made this casserole in the morning for a quick dinner later in the day.

I served this with some sour cream and fresh salsa.

Mushroom Meatballs & Garlic Pasta

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Spices: red chile flakes, salt & pepper, garlic & onion granules

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Form into golf ball sized meatballs and place on parchment paper.  Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.

You could fry these in a little olive oil, but baking them keeps the fat down.  Good for you meatballs means that I don't feel so guilty about putting butter in the pasta.

Pasta: 
1 lb spaghetti
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 cloves of garlic finely minces
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of butter ( you can omit this if you want, but I like the creaminess it adds to the pasta)
1/4-1/2 cup pasta water
Fresh black pepper
Cook spaghetti according to the package directions.  Save about 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water.  Drain the pasta.  In a large pot heat the olive oil and garlic until fragrant.  Toss in the drained pasta and 1/4 cup of the pasta water.  Add in the Parmesan cheese, butter and black pepper.  Toss.  If it is too sticky slowly add in the remaining pasta water until everything loosens up.

I served my garlicy pasta with a couple of meat balls, some roasted broccoli and a slice of garlic bread.

Homemade Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce

I've wanted to make my own pasta for a while and decided to take the plunge with gnocchi.

Ingredients: Whole Russet Potatoes, Flour, Salt & Water.


Step One: Boil 2-3 Large Russet Potatoes in salted water until very tender.  Peel while still hot.  (Just use a thick kitchen towel to hold them so you don't burn yourself.)

Mash up the potatoes with fork or use a ricer.  Slowly add in flour until the dough just comes together.

Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead together a few times adding more flour as you go if it feels a bit too sticky.

Form the dough into a couple of portions and roll each portion out into a long thin log.  Cut section off about every inch.   Form each dough piece into a football type shape.  Roll each gnocchi on the back of fork to get some nice indentations.  This will help the sauce stay put.

 Place the completed gnocchi on a floured piece of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet.  You can freeze them on the sheet for future use or just store them in the fridge until ready to cook.

Boil the gnocchi in salted water until they float and then for an extra minute after that.  Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.

I made a rich meat sauce in my crock pot for this dish.