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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Gnocch gnocch, who's there?

Everyone! It's a gnocchi party!

Gnocchi is part of the group of dishes that hang out with the little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead, as when it is good it is very very good, and when it is bad it is horrid. This quality makes it quite a scary undertaking, and there seems to be a lot of people who have put it in the too-hard basket. I was one of them until Penny of Jeroxie (Addictive and Consuming) decided to throw a Gnocchi Party, inviting all interested parties to conquer any fears, make gnocchi and all post about it on the same day.
 


There were a choice of possible themes, with the options of 'flavour', 'colour' and 'word', and 'flavour' won by two votes (I voted for "word" turned out to be the clear loser of the options, but I wasn't going to let this psych me out... I was determined to be a gnocchi winner). Penny suggested the flavour of umami, the fifth taste, and we were away.



Umami is an interesting beast, and by looking through a few lists of umami rich foods I started having a crazy idea to make a Japanese style gnocchi with sweet potatoes and things like nori, soy, tuna, edamame and dried bonito. Although I'm still taken with this idea, I thought it best to stick to normal potatoes for my first gnocchi adventure, given that sweet potatoes have a higher water content and thus can be more troublesome for gnocchi endeavours (due to this it is apparently a good idea to use part sweet potato part normal potato when making sweet potato gnocchi).

So I kept thinking, thinking, thinking about umami, and I had a brainwave - stinging nettle gnocchi! I haven't cooked with stinging nettles before, but apparently they have a very nice umami flavour, and I figured any stings might distract me from the fear of buggering up the gnocchi. As I tried to source stinging nettles however, my excitement soon faded. Luckily for those of us who like to wear shorts, Perth isn't exactly the stinging nettle capital of the world, and although I discovered that some people grow them here (and they make good food for butterflies) it is really not nettle season right now. Bad news for hungry butterflies and wannabe gnocchi makers alike. I do now have a few sources up my sleeve for later in the year though so expect some nettle creations in winter.


So the thinking continued, until I came across a recipe for Tuna and Anchovy Sauce in Manna from Heaven by Rachel Grisewood, which my friends C and L got me for my birthday and I am currently reading in bed. Yep. Tuna and anchovies both have umami, and I'd not made a sauce like it before so it got me interested.

The dish needed some more components to really round out the flavours and add extra umami, so I decided to add some asparagus, slow roasted tomatoes and parmesan for extra umami, some rocket and capers just for the hell of it, and serve it with a lemon wedge for a nice bit of optional acidity to finish it off.


Umami Gnocchi with (not too) Fishy Sauce is probably one of the dishes I've been most proud of creating during all my cooking challenges over the past year or so. I somehow managed to make soft pillowy gnocchi, slightly tweaked Rachel's recipe to make an incredibly flavoursome umami-fishy sauce without being too fishy, and also managed to add other bits and pieces to construct a dish around these main elements that seemed perfectly balanced in flavours. I am not sure when I'll achieve this feat again, but it gives me confidence that I am able to step away from the safety of just following recipes to get interesting, delicious results.


Gnocchi Pillows
This makes a lot, enough to feed a dozen or so people, but I figure if you're going to go to the trouble of making gnocchi, which freezes very well, then you may as well make a lot at once.

As I said, gnocchi making can strike fear into the hearts of seasoned cooks. There are apparently so many things that you can do wrong at each step of the way, so I've documented my fears through the process.

Ingredients

1.8 kg starchy potatoes (I used Royal Blue)
FEAR 1: am I using the right potatoes??? Different sources suggest different varieties, and I finally decided I wanted to use Nicola potatoes. NOWHERE sold Nicola potatoes, and a man at Coles tried to convince me "washed" was a variety. I finally settled on Royal Blue.
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp salt
Around 2 cups sifted plain flour (or use pasta flour if you have some)
FEAR 2: I am going to use too much flour and they are going to be stodgy and heavy and horrible. 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 F).

2. Scrub and wash your potatoes if necessary, then give them a good prick all over with a fork. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for around an hour, until they feel tender when you stab them with a fork. I also turned mine over halfway through cooking.

FEAR 3: I actually didn't realise this step was scary (apart from the possibility of stabbing yourself with a fork) until I was almost at the end of it. I was up on my computer watching youtube videos of people making gnocchi while my potatoes baked, when the oven timer went off. I decided to just watch one last video before going down to check on the potatoes, and the very first thing the man said on the next video was "the number one mistake that people make when making gnocchi is to overcook the potatoes!!". I didn't hear what the next mistakes were because I was too busy flinging myself downstairs.


FEAR 4: I am not going to actually make any gnocchi after all because I am going to add some bacon, salsa, cheese, sour cream and guacamole to these potatoes and eat them for lunch.

3. Peel the potatoes (I used a combination of a paring knife and burning fingers) and then pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or metal sieve. I used a metal sieve, squashing it through with a spoon. I then let it cool a little before mixing through the salt and egg.

FEAR 5: I will burn my fingers so much that I will never play the violin again!

FEAR 6: The eggs will scramble as I add them to the hot potatoes and I will end up with an eggy potato mix that is completely useless for making gnocchi but may serve me well after I failed to succumb to fear 4.



4. Add the flour to the potato mix a little at a time, only adding enough to create a dough that is not too sticky to work with. You may find this easier to do on a worktop rather than in a bowl. Once you are happy with the texture, knead the dough very lightly to bring it all together.

FEAR 2 REVISITED: This was the biggest one for me - adding too much flour. I ended up using around 2 cups or just over, and erred on the side of slightly too sticky.

5. Form the dough into a log shape and chop it into a dozen or so pieces. For each piece, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until you have a potato rope around 2cm thick (start your hands in the middle and roll, moving your hands outwards towards the ends). Cut the rope into roughly 2cm pieces.


6. The gnocchi is fine to cook as it is now, but traditionally gnocchi has ridges to help capture the sauce. Hold each gnoccho over the tines of a fork and roll gently but firmly across with your thumb to create ridges across one side, and a little thumb dent in the other. If the gnocchi stick to the fork, just use a little more flour on the outside.

FEAR 7: I won't be able to do this step properly and they'll look ugly.

7. Place the gnocchi on a tray lined with baking paper, making sure they DO NOT touch each other. They can be overly friendly with one another and like to kiss. Chaperone them.

FEAR 8: They will go behind my back and kiss each other anyway and I'll end up with one gigantic mass of gnocchi mix.


8. They are fine to cook from this point, but I decided to freeze all of mine immediately after making them. I would recommend you do this even if you are planning to eat them hours later in the same day. Various sources said that refrigerating them until you're ready to use is fine, but others said this makes them soggy, and some even said that they all relaxed into one another in the fridge and formed a gigantic mass. The gigantic mass fear seems to be recurring.

So, once they are on their trays, not kissing, place them into your freezer for a couple of hours until they are fully frozen. You can then remove them from the trays and place into ziplock bags, returning them to the freezer until you are ready to cook them.

9. When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a lot of salted water to the boil in a large saucepan. If you are cooking a lot, it is a good idea to use two pots. Once boiling, add your FROZEN gnocchi to the water and put the lid/s on to bring it back to the boil as quickly as possible. After a few minutes the gnocchi will rise to the surface. Leave them to cook on the surface for around a minute (no more if you can help it) before removing with a wire strainer or slotted spoon, draining well.


I added the gnocchi straight into a pan of warmed sauce, but apparently you can place them into a dish with some oil/butter to prevent them from sticking if you are doing something else with them.

10. Enjoy. Fresh gnocchi is amazing.


As I said, I served mine warmed through the Tuna & Anchovy Sauce with blanched asparagus sections, and served with freshly cracked black pepper, capers, grated parmesan, slow roasted truss tomatoes, rocket and a wedge of lemon.

The roasted tomatoes really complemented the sauce beautifully, with the warm juice adding a delicious sweetness.

This dish was a real hit with my friends. I will definitely be making it again.


I was in very good company at the gnocchi party, as you can tell by my fellow guests' creations:

Big thanks to Penny for being our gracious host and making me face my gnocchi fears!

I can't believe we didn't have a food fight though. Gnocchi would be the perfect ammunition.

51 comments:

penny aka jeroxie February 28, 2010 at 11:37 AM  

Cool! Anchovies sauce. That is all umami to me. And I love the look of that roasted tomatoes. Happy gnocchi day and thanks for coming to the party.

SilverMoon Dragon February 28, 2010 at 11:57 AM  

I don't know about anchovy sauce *insert ew face here* but homemade gnocchi does sound fabulous! I have some roasted capsicum and semi dried tomatoes kicking around in the fridge, so I might just make some for dinner tomorrow!

Shirley February 28, 2010 at 12:03 PM  

Lol! Loved your post and the especially the name of the post. Good to know there are a few first timers at the party. I had one more fear- they wouldnt pop up when I boil them! I was waiting without blinking till one popped up.. I went phew ... done. Lol! Your dish is lovely!

Tasty Trix February 28, 2010 at 12:04 PM  

Omg, that is so funny! I am hardly a gnocchi expert, but the first time I made them I went through a similar series of nervousness, fear, and self-doubt. But look! It was all for naught, because your gnocchi are amazing and delicious. Worth the wait for sure. Happy party!!

Mardi Michels February 28, 2010 at 12:11 PM  

Whilst, I am not really a fan of either tuna or anchovies, I AM definitely a fan of your gnocchi and might even be tempted to try these flavours. Your post is full of great tips and tricks and I will be referring to it for sure when I attempt "proper" gnocchi. I feel like I cheated everyone a bit by going with the pan fried version... Awesome job!

Anonymous February 28, 2010 at 12:20 PM  

I really enjoyed reading your post and I will "steal" the gnocch gnocch joke to tell my daughter tomorrow :) The tuna anchovy sauce sounds superb with the gnocchi, definitely a must try!

Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse) February 28, 2010 at 12:44 PM  

Gaaahhh, so many gnocchi fears that this really isn't helping me to face mine! *faint*

Emma @CakeMistress February 28, 2010 at 1:19 PM  

Well done on conquering your gnocchi fears, these look like they would make any Italian matriarch proud :)

Can't believe I missed gnocchi day.

Trissa February 28, 2010 at 1:31 PM  

I think the reason I've never make gnocchi is because I had the same fears as you have... but yours look divine and I am truly inspired!

Mark @ Cafe Campana February 28, 2010 at 1:38 PM  

Hi Conor, your gnocchi look amazing. I had never thought of freezing them. I cooked the recipe by Alex Herbert which featured on MasterChef last year. I would recommend getting a potato ricer, they are really easy to use and to clean. An added plus is they make amazing mash. BTW great photos.

Christine Ho February 28, 2010 at 1:45 PM  

Haha...Your post is funny and interesting with the documentation of "fears" in making gnocchi.

Your gnocchi has been enriched with so much tasty sauce and flavours, amazing!

Cakelaw February 28, 2010 at 2:43 PM  

Your gnocchi looks amazing! I am one who has put it in the too hard basket because of the qualities you've mentioned, and have never attempted to make it. Manna from Heaven looks like a great book, and I have ummed and aahed over whether to add it to the collection. "Washed" is a variety of potatoes??? That guy in Coles was joking, I hope!

Divina Pe February 28, 2010 at 3:44 PM  

Beautiful gnocchi dish. Anchovies? I would love too. Thanks for sharing your experience and your fears. I will try this soon.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella February 28, 2010 at 4:57 PM  

I think gnocchi pillows are definitely the best way to describe these little morsels of goodness! :D

Anonymous February 28, 2010 at 5:37 PM  

Awesome and inspired job! That tuna and anchovy sauce sounds really interesting!

I can't believe the Coles dude thought "washed" was a variety of pototo *shakes head*

And I love step 7 "they can be over friendly with one another and like to kiss. Chaperone them." Lovely :-)

Von February 28, 2010 at 5:44 PM  

haha- love reading about all the fears! I think I subconsciously fear that I'll do each step wrong everytime I make something too- but reading about it is so funny!

I've never had or made gnocchi before, but it sounds really interesting! And it looks really good too =] Will definitely try this one day!

Maria@TheGourmetChallenge February 28, 2010 at 7:52 PM  

oh yum, I love the fact that there's a healthy addition of veggies! Great job!!

Karine February 28, 2010 at 8:46 PM  

Great job with your gnocchi!! I tried twice to make gnocchi and both times resulted in failure ;(.

Conor @ HoldtheBeef February 28, 2010 at 11:20 PM  

penny aka jeroxie - they were pretty tomatoes. My friends actually stole the tray to go take photos of them :D Happy happy gnocchi day to you, you're a legend for organising all this gnocchi awesomeness!

SilverMoon Dragon - you'd be surprised...the sauce wasn't what you'd expect. Very mild yet very tasty. Oh I hope you do! Continuation of the gnocchi party! :D

Shirley - thank you! :) Oh yes, good point, I also had that fear! They just kinda sat there, looking a bit goopy down the bottom for seemingly AGES before they started pop pop popping up :) Thank you!!

Trix - :) Thanks so much! I'm glad my fears turned out to be a waste of energy. Happy party to you too! Woo!

Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite - the sauce really wasn't too tuna-y or anchovy-y but I guess you could swap them out for another oily fish like flaked salmon? Thanks mate, but you totally didn't cheat and I really want to try your beautiful browned babies :)

5 Star Foodie - haha, thank you! I hope she at least chuckles :D thanks!

mademoiselle délicieuse - oh no! Wake up! Here, I will wave some gnocchi under your nose....!

Emma @CakeMistress - cheers mate! I guess this'll hold me in good stead if I happen to fall for a good Italian boy. I can't believe it either, you'll have to come to the next party, whatever that may be.

Trissa - conquer your fears! You totally have the skills, yeesh! Thank you :) :)

Mark @ Cafe Campana - thank you! The more I researched, the better the notion of freezing them seemed. The results were so very good I think I'll follow this method every time (well, unless I plan to eat them immediately). Will check out that recipe, thanks! And I'm not sure... I have too many gadgets already... not sure if I'm allowed to get a ricer ;)

Christine - thank you so much :)

Cakelaw - thank you! If I can make it, you totally can! Yeah I'm really enjoying this book, as evidenced by my reading it in bed. The Coles guy was serious, bless him.

Divine Pe - thank you! Yay, an anchovy fan :) My pleasure, thanks for yours too!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella - :) thanks, I have to agree. I wanted to snuggle down into them. Chomping as I did so.

mellie - thank you! I know, what a dork, but at least he was friendly :) hehe, they are sneaky little suckers, trying to get up to all kinds of mischief!

Von - thanks!! You should gather your courage and do it, it'll give you more courage to do other crazy stuff :)

Maria@TheGourmetChallenge - thanks! Yeah you gotta stick some veggies in there to counteract the cheese. It's practically calorie free with all those tomatoes ;)

Karine - thank you! Hey, third time is a charm, right? You can do it, you can do it.....gooooooo Karine!

NikiTheo March 1, 2010 at 12:00 AM  

Oh boy do I love gnocchi!!!!! Great job, your post has me wanting to go out and buy some to make for tonight! (I made them once, I'd rather buy them!!! What can I say, I'm lazy!)

Evelyne @ CheapEthnicEatz March 1, 2010 at 1:47 AM  

Aw...I wish I had know of this thing. Love the way you wrote it with the fears...clever. Everything looks so good.

You play the violin?

Betty @ The Hungry Girl March 1, 2010 at 5:21 AM  

Ooh your slow roasted tomatoes look so good! And well done on braving the gnocchi!

Jo - SecondHelping March 1, 2010 at 6:29 AM  

Great post. Your little pillows look perfect too.Far better than my first attempt a while back which saw most of your fears come true!

Natasha (Perth Food Engineers) March 1, 2010 at 9:41 AM  

Wow! You are such a great cook! I'd never made gnocchi before as it looked too hard..love your step-by-tep cooking method though..it might inspire me to try it one day :)
Thanks for the post!

April @ My Food Trail March 1, 2010 at 10:54 AM  

Wow, fantastic first effort! I can't believe you pushed your potatoes through a metal sieve!! If you are planning to make gnocchi again, you should get a potato ricer. I got mine for around $25 and I have never made gnocchi before! :) Thanks for the inspiration to give it a go... one day!!

Trisha March 1, 2010 at 12:47 PM  

Your gnocchi looks FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must try making some in the future... I always just buy the ready made ones from the shops but I'm sure fresh ones are 100x more delicious!

Yen@foodforfour March 1, 2010 at 5:37 PM  

Your gnocchi looks great! It looks so good to be a first timer. I've been too afraid to make gnocchi but looking at yours I feel very inspired to give it a try.

Conor @ HoldtheBeef March 1, 2010 at 7:15 PM  

NikiTheo - thanks!! I hope you had some for dinner :) I've actually never cooked the premade ones myself so I can't comment, but it's good to know they are good enough in case I have a craving and can't be bothered going to this effort.

Evelyne @ CheapEthnicEatz - thanks love! Yes would have been good to have you at the party, but it surely would have degenerated into an absinthe swilling affair ;) Haha, I wondered if anyone would question that... no I don't play, but I suspect I'd be even less able to play with burnt-off fingers.

Betty @ The Hungry Girl - thank you!! I made extra tomatoes, planning to save them to go with any leftovers, but we couldn't help ourselves and ate them all before dessert :D

Jo - SecondHelping - thank you! I'm amazed none of the fears were realised... I hope they aren't next time I try to make these babies.

Natasha (Perth Food Engineers) - Thanks mate! You should totally try it!! :)

Rilsta - thank you! :D I know, it was such a good workout, I can tell you. Am considering it, but I'm reluctant to let myself buy any more kitchen gadgets just for a little while. Well, not til I actually use my last two purchases anyway!

Trisha - THANKS!!! I've never tried the shop ones, so for all I know they are amazing, but I've had gnocchi in restaurants and I think homemade was better than those, so I guess that means it's pretty good :) Try it, try it!

Yen@foodforfour - Thank you!! Oh please do have a bash at it, it's a great way to make your friends very happy :D

Agnes March 1, 2010 at 7:34 PM  

Ahhhhhhh Fear 2 was definitely one of mine. Looking at everyone else's posts, I realise that I didn't add enough flour to my dough! That's why I struggled so much to shape them. Which lead to Fear 7. Wah!

A cupcake or two March 1, 2010 at 7:58 PM  

What a cool idea to have a gnocchi party. I like Gnocchi, especially when its freshly made. Conor I am loving your pictures. Everything is so bright and delicious. Keep up the great work. Hopefully we will get to meet soon. :)

Pam March 2, 2010 at 12:16 AM  

Lovely! I've always wanted to make gnocchi, yours looks amazing. Roasted tomatoes are the best.

Rizka March 2, 2010 at 3:02 AM  

oh wow what a faboulous job of making the gnocchi! I dont think I will ever be as brave as you facing my fear of making fresh gnocchi... :S

Tasty Eats At Home March 2, 2010 at 4:40 AM  

You are too funny. See, all of your fears were unrealized. Great job. Actually your gnocchi are among some of the most beautiful and uniform I've seen! I am super-impressed.

Kitchen Butterfly March 2, 2010 at 5:08 AM  

You're so right, gnocchi make perfect fight resources, especially frozen before throwing....on a real note, these are yum and now i'm looking forward to making potato gnocchi...sometimes fear is what we need to drive us to success!

Pierre March 2, 2010 at 5:30 AM  

hi conor
i love the gnocchis and yours are just scrumptious !! and i also like very much cherry tomatoes !!
i see this is still summmer in australia !! so unfair !! cheers Pierre

Simply Life March 2, 2010 at 7:31 AM  

WOW! What a beautiful dish! Wish I could eat that now! :)

papawow March 2, 2010 at 3:05 PM  

These look brilliant. I am still full from dinner but am imagining myself diving into a big bowl of these right now and no one can stop me. Great photos too. Thanks!

Adrian @ Food Rehab March 2, 2010 at 5:52 PM  

mmmm, diggin the addition of slow roasted tomatoes. Love it when you break them open when hot...I don't mind the burning.

Anita March 2, 2010 at 7:01 PM  

You've just reminded me I should make gnocchi more often. I love it do much!! This dish looks great.

Hannah March 3, 2010 at 6:21 AM  

I completely applaud you. I only had gnocchi for the first time in my life last year, and there's no way I'm brave enough to try making it! Though the stated deliciousness of yours is tempting...

krissy @ the food addicts March 3, 2010 at 7:10 AM  

oh yes, absolutely inspirational! i've been a fan of gnocchi since i first had it in italy, and i recently bought a package at the supermarket for dinner. however, it is still my goal to make homemade gnocchi! yours turned out perfect!!!!

Conor @ HoldtheBeef March 3, 2010 at 8:54 AM  

Agnes - no no no! Fear 7 passed you by unharmed, I tell you! Pretty parcels, they were. Pretty parcels of yum :)

A cupcake or two - I know, it was a great idea! Joint conquering of fears :) Thanks so much, Kath, I am really trying to improve my photo quality so it's really cool to get such a comment! I hope so too, that would be great :) and delicious

Pam - thanks so much! Roasted tomatoes are like bacon I guess... they'll improve most anything :)

Rizka - thank you!! Oh go on, you big scaredy cat :)

Tasty Eats At Home - :) I know, I know, but I will probably go through all the fears again next time I make it! Actually, having a food blog is good for that, because at least next time I can look through my photos and remind myself it actually all worked out ok in the end (and yet probably still stress out anyway). And wow, thanks so much for that comment, it put a big smile on my face!

Kitchen Butterfly - Yes! But I think you need some frozen ones for hardness of ammo, and some cooked ones to stick on people's faces :) Thanks!! I would love to copy your plantain gnocchi, it was so inspirational.

Pierre - thanks Pierre! Oh don't worry, it's now Autumn and you'll be getting some nice spring weather soon I'm sure :) Anyway... is your mysterious holiday location somewhere warm? :)

Simply Life - thank you!! I wish you could too!

papawow - thanks! I think they'd be nice to dive into, all soft and pillowy to cushion your fall :D thanks very much and thanks for visiting too :)

Adrian @ Food Rehab - Oh yes I totally agree, it's well worth any searing hot pain. Mmmmmmmm.

Anita - You should! Do it now! :D thank you!

Hannah - Oh thanks!! Well, maybe wait until you're not in a hostel. Or sick.

krissy @ the food addicts - thank you!! I never actually had any when I was in Italy, which seems stupid now, but I guess I was too busy eating other deliciousness. The work of homemade gnocchi definitely seems worth it. Thanks! :)

Stacy March 4, 2010 at 11:36 AM  

I love nettles! I hope that you make some gnocchi with them when the season is right! These look great though!

3 hungry tummies March 4, 2010 at 12:54 PM  

Beautiful dish! The roasted tomatoes are the cherry on the cake for me!

ViaggiandoMangiando March 5, 2010 at 5:11 AM  

hey conor! i've found you through the food exchange web site, i'm from italy would you like to do it again with me?
pls feel free to contact me through my blog, i'm sure you'll love this recipe: http://viaggiando-mangiando.blogspot.com/2010/02/gnocchi-alla-sorrentina.html (you can translate it clicking on the british flag)
wait for you! ciao!

Iron Chef Shellie March 5, 2010 at 9:02 AM  

WOAH! Amazing work! I've not tackled my gnocchi fears yet. Only had them once and didn't like them, but I think that's cos the chef bastardized them!

Fantastic!

Conor @ HoldtheBeef March 5, 2010 at 11:03 AM  

Stacy - I've never eaten them before but I'm definitely going to try my hardest to get my hands on some when the weather permits! Thanks :)

3 hungry tummies - thank you! Those tomatoes made all the difference to the dish.

ViaggiandoMangiando - Ciao e benvenuto! I would absolutely love to do an exchange with you (especially after just visiting your blog and feeling instant hunger pangs). I will try to find your email address and get in touch. Yay! Italian exchange!

Iron Chef Shellie - thanks love! You gotta tackle them, it is SO worth it. I had mediocre restaurant gnocchi before and didn't understand the hype really until having homemade, it seems to be a common occurrence.

Anonymous March 8, 2010 at 2:52 PM  

Brava! Your gnocchi looks wonderful and the fish sauce makes my mouth water. I have tried to make gnocchi numerous times with dubious results. (I finally determined that I would just continue to take advantage of my kind neighbor's skill and 40yrs of experience in the process.)

Chef Fresco March 9, 2010 at 11:36 PM  

I'm pretty new to gnocchi but I'm warming up to it. We may have to give it a try soon.

Conor @ HoldtheBeef March 13, 2010 at 12:46 PM  

Bromography - Grazie! Oh you lucky thing, I wouldn't mind having a neighbour like that.

Chef Fresco - you should! I'd love to see your beautiful photos of it :)

Simply Life March 16, 2010 at 8:39 PM  

I LOVE gnocchi - this looks great!

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