Easier Gnocchi and Tips For Planning ahead for Thanksgiving

Hi everyone. It is the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I am beginning my planning for the big day-like a rehearsal for a Broadway show. There will be 7 kids, 13 adults, one begging dog and a lot of high expectations for delicious food. Am I up to the challenge? Are you?

One way to avoid the show jitters is to PLAN AHEAD:

Think about what you’ll make NOW!
Do the shopping for as much as possible NOW!
Freeze whatever you can NOW! like my awesome biscuit recipe: http://takebackthekitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/biscuits
Set your table NOW!
Clean off your counters NOW!
Buy an assortment of drinks NOW!
Make sure someone will be watching your kids before the big day and the day of NOW!

Plan to drink a bit of wine while you are cooking-it’ll take the edge off.

Please just remember that the day is really about being with friends and family. Learn from your cooking stresses and simply do it differently the next time There’s always X-mas, Chanukah and a million other days to practice.

The following is a recipe that some of you may want to use for your vegetarian guests. It is a way easier gnocchi recipe than the rolled out kind. I got it from Mark Bitman and it is fantastic. I did not use the sage butter but used olive oil and smoked spicy paprika to top it off. Thanks, Mark and , everyone, have a great holiday! I’ll be thinking of you…

Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi

Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 or more sage leaves.
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Combine the ricotta, eggs and Parmesan in a large bowl, along with some salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup flour and stir; add more flour until the mixture forms a very sticky dough. Scoop up a spoonful of dough and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape; if it does not, stir in a bit more flour.

2. Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts and turns a nutty brown color, add the sage. While it fries, drop the ricotta mixture by the rounded tablespoon into the boiling water, working in batches of six or so at a time so as not to overload the pot.

3. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet. When all the gnocchi are done, toss, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.