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Bellevue Club Executive Chef Paul Marks |
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Executive Chef Paul Marks shares recipes and cooking tips with members.
Nearly eight years ago I was working as a regional chef for a small collection of restaurants along the West Coast. My territory covered Seattle, Portland and California.
I brought many experiences away from that position, mostly positive. The one experience that shines through the most was when the company would take all their chefs to Italy for tasting and training. And, to this day, I still lean toward Italian food when I am cooking at home, especially in the colder months.
One experience in particular that stands out is a day trip to a
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small town called Montepulciano near Florence, where we made gnocchi. The medieval city sits on a steep limestone ridge and no cars are allowed on its cobblestone streets, so it’s strictly a walking city.
Our group was taken to a small, unnamed restaurant hidden behind a humble exterior. The restaurant is known for its hearty Italian country dishes, especially gnocchi. After a nice reception with small bites of cheese, salami and wine, we were led to a back room in the kitchen where the pastas are made by hand—no processing equipment here.
Our teacher was a mature Italian woman whose face went red when she saw us. She immediately pulled our host into another room for a rapid-fire conversation. We had no idea what was going on, but when our host came back we learned that our teacher had a traditional Italian upbringing and could not understand why so many men would want to make gnocchi. According to her, it was always a woman’s work to make gnocchi, and our group of 15 males and one female intimidated her. Eventually, we got through the cultural differences and had a wonderful class.
Gnocchi are among the oldest foods in Italy, dating back to the Roman Empire. Each region in Italy has its own version of gnocchi. In the simplest terms, gnocchi are little dumplings that can be made from almost any ingredient that can be formed into dough. In Val d’Aosta, it’s made with buckwheat and fontina. In Sardinia, they flavor it with saffron. In Lombard, it’s made with pumpkin. Alto Adige uses rye bread crumbs and dried mushrooms. In Frioli, it is a sweet treat because they wrap potato dough around stuffed apricots or plums. In its various forms, gnocchi can be boiled, baked or even deep-fried. It is then sauced and served as you would serve pasta.
The following are some of my favorite recipes I learned based on those experiences in Italy. “Mangia!”
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Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi
2 pounds spinach, stemmed, washed, dried and chopped
1 ¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 cups flour
1 cup ricotta, drained for two hours in cheesecloth-lined sieve
2 eggs
½ teaspoons nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
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Place spinach on sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees until wilted. Cool and wring dry. Chop and place back on sheet pan and bake until moisture is evaporated. Cool again.
Mix with Parmesan, half the flour, ricotta, eggs and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper.
Continue adding the flour until the dough is not very sticky.
On a flour-coated counter, roll out some of the dough into a thin strip about one-half inch in diameter, and cut into half-inch pieces. Dip a fork in flour and gently press each piece down on the back of the fork with your thumb to form a large indent on one side and several small stripes on the other side.
Continue until you have used up all the dough. Place the gnocchi on a floured sheet pan.
To cook, drop them into boiling water until they rise to the surface and are firm to the touch.
Serve with your desired sauce.
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Gnocchi di Semolina
4 cups milk
1 cup semolina flour
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup shredded Parmesan
Pinch of salt |
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Heat milk and salt to a simmer. Drizzle in the semolina while stirring vigorously with a whisk. Over medium heat keep stirring until thick and glossy. Add the egg, butter and cheese, stirring constantly.
Pour onto a wet sheet pan. Let cool and set up. You can use a cookie cutter at this point, or just cut the gnocchi into square or triangle pieces so you have no waste. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, topped with butter, pepper and shredded Parmesan.
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Potato Gnocchi
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
½ cup flour
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste |
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Boil potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork. Cool to room temperature and peel. Grate potatoes on the fine side of a cheese grater or run through a food mill. Mix potatoes, cheese and nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste; add eggs and mix until just incorporated. Add just enough flour to bring the dough to the consistency of pie dough, still a little sticky. Take approximately one-half cup of dough at a time and press lightly between hands until lightly compressed. Roll out on a floured work surface about one half-inch thick and cut on the diagonal about every half-inch.
Drop into boiling salted water. Remove gnocchi as they rise to the surface; toss with favorite sauce.
Here are some tips to create spectacular potato gnocchi. The dough should never be cooled before serving and a wooden spoon should be used when mixing. Use only waxy potatoes and remember freshly grated nutmeg and fresh ground pepper make all the difference. Also, eggs should be at room temperature and not beaten before mixing.
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Blue Cheese Cream Sauce
3 cups heavy cream
¾ cup Oregon blue cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste |
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Bring the cream to a simmer, lower the heat and whisk in the cheese. When the cheese is melted, add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives and nutmeg.
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Red Pepper and Toasted Almond Pesto
3 large red bell peppers
¾ cup toasted almonds, chopped
¼ cup fresh garlic, chopped
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste |
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Seed and cut peppers into small pieces. Combine everything together and purée into a paste. |
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Marinara Sauce
16 large tomatoes peeled and seeded, or 2 large cans tomato strips (total should be 32 ounces or 4 cups)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced onions
¼ cup chopped garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ pound of fresh chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste |
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To peel and seed tomatoes, drop them in boiling water for one minute and then immediately transfer into ice water. Once cool, the skin will peel right off. Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds.
Sauté your carrots, onions and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until they start to brown. Add in tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Purée sauce, add sugar and season with salt and pepper. Chop fresh basil and add just before the sauce is finished.
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Pesto Cream Sauce
1½ cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons pesto
Pine nuts
Salt and pepper
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Bring cream to a simmer, whisk in pesto and bring back to a simmer. Thicken sauce until it coats back of wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with gnocchi and sprinkle with pine nuts.
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