Little Pillows of Love
When I made Christmas dinner, I cooked far more food than was necessary. This is not unusual, it's a result of my upbringing and a desire for leftovers.
When I make mashed potatoes, I easily make twice what is needed. I think this is due to growing up with a sister who worshiped mashed potatoes. Too much is never enough. Add company that I suspected liked the mashed spud, too and I made double what I usually do.
Even a week after the holiday and Chef enjoying his leftover stuffing and mashed, I had three pounds of creamy goodness left. It was time to do something with them.
Had I not used up my yeast making pizza dough on New Year's Eve, I would have made a Chicago style crust and had some pizza skins, the Pizzeria Uno appetizer that is my all time favorite snack when dining out.
The other option is something that had been bouncing around for a while, Gnocci, or as Mario Batali calls them "Little Pillows of Love". Our favorite local Italian place makes a delicious meal of these with a light marinara and copious amounts of melted mozzarella. Should I give it a go?
The recipes I found were ridiculously easy. Mention Gnocci in this house, and the troops are ready to eat. Heck, any time we go to Palace, I end up getting them and Chef 'helps' me with my huge plate.
All I needed was two pounds of potatoes. Check. A cup of flour. Check. Two eggs, beaten. Check. Finally, a couple of pinches of kosher salt. Got it.
Above the mashed, below the mashed with egg poured over the top. Then, add in the four and using a spatula or spoon, mix the dough together.
This is very simple to do, although it did need more flour, almost a cup more. 
I made a test gnocci to ensure that the pillows of love wouldn't fall apart in the boiling water. It didn't.
Ed sampled the first one and said it was too light and needed more flour. I tried one and finally had the Gnocci I'd been told existed for years. What I'd been served in restaurants is much heavier in comparison. I almost wished I had some pesto for this. Chef shaved some Asiago atop his and was good to go.
Mine had a tiny puddle of marinara to dip them. It was like biting into the fluffiest mashed potato I'd ever eaten.
Mario was right-when you make them at home, they are little pillows. Even Gameboy enjoyed them. Pillows of love, for sure!
When I make mashed potatoes, I easily make twice what is needed. I think this is due to growing up with a sister who worshiped mashed potatoes. Too much is never enough. Add company that I suspected liked the mashed spud, too and I made double what I usually do.
Even a week after the holiday and Chef enjoying his leftover stuffing and mashed, I had three pounds of creamy goodness left. It was time to do something with them.
Had I not used up my yeast making pizza dough on New Year's Eve, I would have made a Chicago style crust and had some pizza skins, the Pizzeria Uno appetizer that is my all time favorite snack when dining out.
The other option is something that had been bouncing around for a while, Gnocci, or as Mario Batali calls them "Little Pillows of Love". Our favorite local Italian place makes a delicious meal of these with a light marinara and copious amounts of melted mozzarella. Should I give it a go?
The recipes I found were ridiculously easy. Mention Gnocci in this house, and the troops are ready to eat. Heck, any time we go to Palace, I end up getting them and Chef 'helps' me with my huge plate.
All I needed was two pounds of potatoes. Check. A cup of flour. Check. Two eggs, beaten. Check. Finally, a couple of pinches of kosher salt. Got it.
Above the mashed, below the mashed with egg poured over the top. Then, add in the four and using a spatula or spoon, mix the dough together.
This is very simple to do, although it did need more flour, almost a cup more. 
I made a test gnocci to ensure that the pillows of love wouldn't fall apart in the boiling water. It didn't.
Ed sampled the first one and said it was too light and needed more flour. I tried one and finally had the Gnocci I'd been told existed for years. What I'd been served in restaurants is much heavier in comparison. I almost wished I had some pesto for this. Chef shaved some Asiago atop his and was good to go.
Mine had a tiny puddle of marinara to dip them. It was like biting into the fluffiest mashed potato I'd ever eaten.Mario was right-when you make them at home, they are little pillows. Even Gameboy enjoyed them. Pillows of love, for sure!
Comments
Mandy, it's funny, they say that it's difficult to do them, but I didn't find it hard-just time consuming.
Grandy, neither did I-until the other day. I was positive there was a lot more to it than that.
Next batch is going to have some roasted garlic rolled into them. Maybe some chopped basil.