Pati Overcomes the Gnocchi Curse on July 9

I have never been good at making homemade potato gnocchi.  It either comes out tough (like those nasty prepackaged gnocchi you can find in the grocery store) or disintegrates in the cooking water; I’ve never been able to get that elusive consistency of tenderness one finds in really good homemade gnocchi.  I recently found a recipe in one of my cooking magazines that was titled something like ‘how to make perfectly soft and fluffy gnocchi every time’ that I decided to try.  I followed the recipe EXACTLY as it was written which is VERY difficult for me to do (it’s why I am not a good baker).  Anyway, to my surprise and delight, the gnocchi came out pretty close to perfect; they were very tender and tasted like potato.  I served them with a veal and mushroom sauce I made earlier in the day; the dish was topped with Parmesan cheese and red chile flakes and was delicious.

Bruce made an interesting salad of arugula and romaine with apple, fennel, smoked almonds, and blue cheese.  The dressing was a maple and white balsamic vinaigrette and the wine was Kendall Jackson meritage 2004.