I made this meal with my friend Laura who was visiting. I was thankful for an extra set of hands since there were a lot of steps involved. The food turned out amazing! The semolina flour used to make the gnocchi I found at our local italian food store. It is the same type of wheat flour that is used to make pasta.
Gnocchi alla Romana with Sun Dried Tomatoes
5 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup finely chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 cups semolina flour
1/2 unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups marinara sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 400, clear the counter and slather a 9 X 13 dish with butter
2. Combine milk, sun dried tomatoes in a large saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer and simmer 1-2 min. Gradually stir in the semolina flour mixing until it pulls away from the edge of the pan (takes just a min or so). Remove from heat and quickly stir in 1/4 c butter, 3/4 cup parmesan, the egg yolks and salt. Work the egg yokes in quickly because they can cook if left to long on the top of the hot dough
3. Put a glaze of cold water on the counter top. With wet hands turn the dough onto the damp counter and spread into a 3/4 inch thick slab. Cut into 1 1/2 inch circles. ( I used the top of a spice container as a cookie cutter). Use a spatula to place the circles in the prepared pan, slightly overlapping each other.
4. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter and drizzle over the gnocchi, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
5. Bake covered 25 min, then uncovered for another 20-25 min until golden.
6. Warm the marinara sauce and ladle over individual servings of gnocchi
Shredded Green Beans with Lemon-Lime Zest and Snipped Chives.
Our friend Jared said these were the best green beans he had ever eaten, I agree.
3/4 pound green and or yellow beans, tops and tails trimmed
2 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter
2 Tbl water
Grated zest of one large lemon
Grated zest of one lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper
1. Slice the beans on the diagonal into roughly 1/8 inch pieces resulting in tiny angular zeroes
2. Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the beans and stir until coated with oil then add the water. Cover and cook 2-3 min until beans are brightly colored and tender, give the pan a good shake midway through to ensure even cooking.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the zests and half of the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with the remaining chives.
