Tastes Like Home
“My message to young learner cooks has not changed… Always try a new food with an open mind…” – Stephanie Alexander.
Stephanie Alexander says….
I do not remember my 30th birthday. It was in the middle of one of the darkest times in my life, and perhaps I choose to forget it. There have been great parties with dancing for my 60th and 70th birthdays, a smaller gathering in between lockdowns in 2020 for my 80th, and I have no plans for my 90th. If I am planning a party for my granddaughter, I will make sure there are things she likes best of all. The gathering of friends and family is perhaps the most important part of any party.
When I published the first Cook’s Companion in 1996, I was aware that many people found the whole idea of cooking anxiety-making. I took this as a challenge to address, and The Cook’s Companion was the result. It vindicated my belief that many just needed friendly advice and a few starting ideas. My message to young learner cooks has not changed: experience everything you can. Get your hands in the dirt. Plant something and watch it grow. Always try a new food with an open mind. Share your culinary experiments with your family. And keep on learning.
Ingredients
Serves 4
300g frozen spinach
1 shallot, very finely chopped
30g butter
pinch of salt
150g ricotta
90g plain flour
2 egg yolks
100g parmesan cheese, grated
freshly grated nutmeg
extra flour for shaping
extra freshly grated parmesan
Sage and noisette butter
100g butter
16 sage leaves
Method
Thaw the spinach in a strainer resting over a bowl. Once thawed, press the spinach down into the strainer with the back of a spoon and discard any liquid. To make the noisette butter, cook butter in a small frying pan until golden brown and smelling nutty, then stop the cooking by dipping the base of the pan in cold water. Set aside.
Cook the shallot in butter in a frying pan over gentle heat until golden and very soft. Tip the drained spinach into the pan and allow it to take up the buttery shallot. Tip the mixture into a large bowl and add salt, ricotta and flour. Mix very well, then add egg yolks, parmesan and a scraping of nutmeg. Taste for salt.
Put a little extra flour on a plate and have another plate ready to take the gnocchi. Shape the gnocchi with your fingers and a teaspoon, rolling each one between your palms until the size of a large olive. You should have around 40 gnocchi pieces. Dip your fingers in flour if the mixture is sticky. Preheat oven to 120°C (100°C fan) with a serving dish in it – to warm up.
Bring a wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a simmer. Roll the gnocchi down into simmering water. Do not crowd the saucepan; you will probably need to do two batches. The gnocchi are ready when they rise to the surface. This will take just 3–4 minutes. Scoop the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon and transfer to your warmed dish. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
Just before the second batch is ready, reheat the noisette butter and crisp sage leaves for 2–3 minutes. Scoop the gnocchi into a serving dish, tip the bubbling noisette butter and sage leaves over the lot and shake dish to mix.
Offer extra parmesan at the table.
THE COOK’S COMPANION 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION BY STEPHANIE ALEXANDER IS OUT NOW
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