Sicilian Gnocchi - Gnocchi alla Siciliana

[Serge Birbrair]

Found on
http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/recipes_of_sicily.html

30 gr. golden raisins
1/2 kilo ricotta cheese
4 egg yolks
25 gr. pine nuts, chopped
100 gr. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped very finely
1/2 cup basil, chopped very finely
salt and pepper to taste
100 gr. flour
6 Tbsp. melted butter

Soak the raisins in a small bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Push the ricotta through a sieve into a bowl. Add the egg yolks, raisins, pine nuts, half the Parmesan and the parsley and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and mix well. Using a teaspoon form the mixture into gnocchi the size of quail eggs and roll them in the remaining flour.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon. Toss with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese before serving.



Daniel Rogov

[Serge Birbrair]

we tried it today...
don't bother,
the mainland version is MUCH better,
lack of potato in them shows and it's not flattering.

[Susanne Feigum]

I totally agree the potato version is much better.

Plus whoever wrote the recipe was confused about measurements....half of the ingredients are measured in grams, kilos and the other half in tablespoons and cups.

Whatever the intention of the mix and match measurments, the 1/4 cup flour the recipe said to add to the ricotta, egg yolk mixture is not enough to make a dough, period, and certainly not sturdy enough to withstand being boiled in water. I ended up with almost two cups of flour to make a dough that could be rolled into balls.

[Daniel Rogov]

Hello Serge and Susanne,

This may indeed be a case of "a rose by any other name not being a rose". That the dish is called gnocchi is somewhat misleading because most of us are used to the potato based version, but that, by heaven is what the Sicilians call the dish and I am far to wise to dare to challenge those good people in the naming of their dishes.

As to the mixing of measurements, I offer no apologies as my recipes are generally written for a European and not a North American audience and I try to stay within the standards of other European-based food writers. Aside from which, it would be absolute hell trying to weigh 1 1/2 Tbsp. of parsley.

Best,
Rogov

[Serge Birbrair]

Daniel,
I was born in Europe and can help yanks with conversions.

We'll get back to Sicily one day and investigate futher....and on the other note,
we found Sicily to be faaaaaaaar from the Sicily portrayed by Mario Puzzo in Godfather.
Modern country, very hospitable people, no push overs and no widows wearing black



Welcome to WT, BTW,
and feel free to put your web site in yoru signature,
as I am sure our members and visitors will find lots of interesting information on your site.

[Daniel Rogov]

Serge, Hi.....

Agreed - modern island, very hospitable people but one day over a glass or three of wine I'll tell you about the time I sat at the table of a capo di tutto capo mafiosi in error and what happened after that (all good news.....wine, cigars and not a bullet in sight)

[Serge Birbrair]

Daniel,
I am intrigued! Just name the time and place within 12 hours flight distance and we'll be there!
Life is too short to miss on the good company, good wine and good story

[Susanne Feigum]

Hello and welcome to winetalk!!

No worries about the recipe...I agree weighing TBLS is hard....what is harder for me, as an American, is converting grams and kilos into ounces and cups. So maybe I got something wrong...but I definitely had to add more flour. The taste was nice...a bit like pesto, with the pine nuts and basil, and a touch of sweet from the raisins.

But very soft, not much like a pasta. And, based on my own observations, texture is a bigger factor in love it or hate it for women than for men.

Thanks again!