Take Me Back to Italy!

One of my favorite dishes while I was in Italy was a chive and ricotta gnocchi with a roasted red pepper coulis. It was simply delicious. The ricotta came from the goats on the "farm" and it was made fresh daily. So I decided to try and recreate my favorite dish for my parents...lucky for them it was just as tasty, minus the beautiful Roman Countryside.

Ricotta Chive Gnocchi (6 servings)

2 large potato
1 tsp salt
1/2 c AP flour
1 1/2 egg yolks
2 tbsp minced chives
1/2 c ricotta
flour for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and bake for 1 hour, poking with a fork to check their doneness. Allow to cool, peel the potato, and run through a food mill. If you don't have a food mill, no worries, you can mash the hell out of them. Make sure you get them as smooth as possible. Add ricotta, chives, salt and flour, combine until mixed together. Add egg yolks. Working on a floured surface, scoop a tablespoons-worth of the mixture and roll the gnocchi into little football-shaped balls.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, reduce to a simmer. Add the gnocchi a few at a time, cooking until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon, and serve with sauce.

Roasted Red Pepper Coulis

1 large red pepper, roasted, peeled and seeds removed
1 garlic clove
2 tsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chives
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a food processor, except the olive oil. While turned on, stream the olive oil into the mixture. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Put into a saucepan and reheat on low.

I added some crispy bacon on top to satisfy my father's protein requirement for every meal. And because I was not paying attention, I baked 3 potatoes - so I made some homemade potato skins...

BUON APPETITO!