Stoner Cooking

Zucchini and Potato Frittata
Jacqueline Rizk
August 29, 2011
http://theorganicblonde.com/zucchini-potato-frittata

Frittatas are a quick and easy meal on any night of the week but make Meatless Mondays a snap. A frittata is really an unflipped omelette that is finished off in the oven. You can use any vegetables you have on hand and can make these with cheese or go dairy free without it. For my recipe I had some really good potatoes and lots of leftover zucchini and my ever present parmigiano so that’s what I used and it came out perfectly.

I do believe in using cast iron for frittatas and a well seasoned and oiled pan can be nearly as non-stick as any trusty teflon pan. Cast iron is a wonderful cooking medium for anything that needs to be cooked first on the stove top and placed in the oven to finish as it gives foods a nice crisp texture. Cast iron actually infuses your food with necessary iron as well, a bonus for women who may be slightly anemic.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

splash of milk, cream, or water

1 zucchini cut into thin half moons

1 small onion sliced thin

1 organic potato sliced into thin half moons (or cubed and parboiled)

Fresh herbs (tarragon, basil, chervil, parsley or chives work well)

grated cheese*

sea salt and pepper

grapeseed oil, butter or ghee

* I know people who cannot make a frittata without heavy cheese such as mozzarella or cheddar. I prefer my frittatas on the lighter side with just a grated hard cheese such as romano or parmigiano and sometimes even without the cheese.

Directions:

Beat eggs with milk or water and cheese if using.

Sauteé potato and onion in plenty of oil, butter or ghee until potatoes are tender. Add zucchini and sauteé another few minutes until zucchini has softened but still a bit firm.

Add egg mixture and distribute mixture evenly.

Set heat to low medium and cover pan. Let cook about 10 minutes, checking often.

When eggs are set, place under a preheated broiler for a few minutes until top is light golden brown.

Cut into wedges and serve with crusty Italian bread and a salad.

*

Holy gnocchi! How to make perfect potato pillows
September 9th, 2011
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/09/09/holy-gnocchi-how-to-make-perfect-potato-pillows

When Marco Canora was the chef de cuisine 10 years ago at Tom Colicchio's now flagship restaurant Craft, his gnocchi were described by then New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes as "eye-rolling pleasure bombs" in his three-star review.

This past week, current Times critic Sam Sifton re-reviewed Craft citing the gnocchi as "the same butter-laden pleasure bombs Mr. Grimes raved about in 2001."

While Marco Canora has moved on, becoming the executive chef of his own restaurants - Hearth and Terroir - as well as the author of the James Beard-nominated cookbook "Salt to Taste," his gnocchi legacy carries on.

Gnocchi
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients

•3 large russet (Idaho) potatoes, scrubbed
•1 egg yolk
•About 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
•About 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
•1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
•Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
•About 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake them until they are soft, about 1 1/2 hours.

2. While they're still hot, cut all the potatoes in half lengthwise - you want to create as much surface area as possible so the steam billows out. (Steam is water; the less water the potatoes contain, the less flour you will need. The less flour, the lighter the gnocchi.)

3. Scoop the potatoes out of the skins and into a fine-holed ricer. Pass them through the ricer onto a large clean work surface - use your countertop or kitchen table. Using the end of a large metal kitchen spoon, spread the potatoes into an even rectangle about 24" x 12".

4. Season the potatoes generously with white pepper (if available). When they are no longer hot to the touch, almost room temperature, beat the egg yolk. Drizzle the egg yolk over the potatoes. Measure 1 1/4 cups flour and sprinkle this over the potatoes.

5. Using a pastry scraper, cut the flour and egg into the potatoes, chopping and then turning the mixture in on itself and folding it together, until everything is well mixed and the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Bring the mixture together into a ball.

6. Sprinkle a scant 1/4 cup flour on the work surface. Place the dough on the flour and press down, flattening it into a disk with both hands. Dust the dough with another scant 3/4 cup flour. Using your hands, fold and press the dough until the flour is incorporated. Add two dustings of flour to the work surface and dough and repeat. If the dough still feels sticky, repeat once more, this time covering both the table and the dough with no more than 2 tablespoons flour.

7. Roll the dough into a compact log. Dust the outside with flour, then allow the dough to rest for about 5 minutes. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Divide the log into 8 pieces. Roll each section into a cylinder about 1/2" thick. Using floured knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into gnocchi about 1" long.

8. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Working in two or three batches, drop the gnocchi into the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until they float, 2 to 3 minutes. Retrieve the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and put them on a baking sheet or plate. While the gnocchi cook, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage and season with salt and pepper. Allow the butter to brown slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the gnocchi to the browned butter and remove the pan from the heat. Mix gently and serve topped with Parmigiano