Saturday morning I went to one of the oldest and best in the area and in tomato nirvana. There were hybrids and heirlooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I opted for for a pint of romas and a pint of yellow plums.
I also picked up a nice box of small Yukon Gold potatoes.
As I was driving my delicious bounty home I thought " Great, now you got it, whatcha gonna do with it ?"
Ok now think... obviously since I bought sauce tomatoes I need to make sauce(brilliant, I know). However since I have two types of tomatoes, I will need to make two sauces----
1) farmers market tomato sauce -
1lb fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes
with a small knife, make an "X" on the top of the tomatoes and put them in boiling water for about 45 seconds. remove with a tongs or slotted spoon and plunge(or place - but plunge is more dramatic-BAM) into ice water and let sit another 30 seconds or so. This is done so you can easily remove the skin. now remove the skin and either run the tomatoes through a food mill or pulse them in a processor.
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic smashed
whatever fresh or dried herbs you like - basil, oregano, thyme .... just remember to taste and if you use dried use 1/3 less
heat the oil, saute the garlic, add the tomatoes and herbs, let simmer until it thickens up the add another Tbs of olive oil and keep warm
2) yellow tomato basil sauce -
do the same skin thing with the you did with the yellow as you did with the red - heck do it at the same time and save time
* if you so desire remove the seed goo before grinding up the tomatoes - I don't desire so I don't do*
2 Tbs olive oil
3Tbs prepared basil pesto (fresh or jar)
heat the oil add the tomatoes and pesto simmer until slightly thickened, add 1 Tbs olive oil and keep warm
So I have two sauces - now what? on top of potatoes? ain't that a little avaunt garde?
nope this is where my Polish, Irish, Lithuanian roots meet my "I wish I had some Italian" roots.
Gnocchi, potato dumplings, kluske, what ever you want to call them - the are light and fluffy and delicious with tomato sauce.
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
Boil the potatoes until soft, drain and as soon as you can touch them without burning your hand - peel them.
Now,run the potatoes through a potato ricer right onto a large cutting board or cookie pan. spread them gently and let them cool slightly. Sprinkle half the flour over the potatoes and push the whole mess into a pile and make a well in the middle - kind of like a volcano. crack the eggs into the middle and use a fork to mix the eggs into the potato/flour mixture. Start kneading the dough with your hands , adding flour as needed, until you have a soft, silky, light dough roll into a ball. Cut the ball into quarters and roll one piece at a time into a snake about 3/4 inch in diameter. Cut the snake into smaller pieces about an inch long. Now using a fork or gnocchi board, roll the tines of the fork over the dumpling to give it some grooves or roll it on the gnocchi board .
Once you get all the dough made into dumplings, place them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with a little flour and cover them with a towel. Let the dumplings rest while you get a big pot of water add some salt and bring to a boil. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and let them cook until they float. Now you can either put them on a cookie pan and toss with a little oil and put in the fridge until ready to use, or better yet get a pan put some of your sauce in the pan, add some of the gnocchi, heat until everything is hot put on a plate and top with some Grana Pandano or Parmesan cheese and eat!
this is the Farmers Market tomato sauce above
and below is the yellow plum tomato and pesto
Enjoy the food and enjoy your local markets!
seriously, to call
