HotmailItalian comfort food: Ricotta gnocchi
Try this recipe for delicious potato pasta with homemade Bolognese sauce
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Scoozi! restaurant |
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This week’s recipe, stolen from chef Eric Young of Scoozi! restaurant in Chicago, is a warming bowlful of delicious Italian gnocchi made with rich ricotta cheese and adorned by Eric’s Bolognese sauce. Every chef in an Italian restaurant has his or her own closely guarded Bolognese recipe, and we’re sharing Eric’s with you to try at home — until you can make it to the Windy City to try it for yourself from his busy kitchen. For more than 20 years Scoozi! has fed Chicago, and the menu features seasonal, fresh-tasting creations from all over Italy — from Sicily to the Austrian border and everything in between.
This big, open-spaced restaurant features brick-oven pizzas and pastas imported from Italy or made fresh and offers more than 30 wines by the glass, as well as Italian specialty cocktails and cordials made in-house from fresh fruit. There’s something for everyone at the bar.
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Upon completing his studies, Eric came across a job at Scoozi!, where he was eager to work on his development in a high-volume setting. After several months, Eric was approached and asked to take on the job as chef of the 21-year-old Chicago dining staple. Eager to take on a new challenge, Eric accepted and began working to take the cuisine at Scoozi! to a new standard.
Scoozi!
Chicago, River North
410 W. Huron
Chicago, IL 60654
312-943-5900
www.leye.com/restaurants/directory/scoozi
Potato and ricotta gnocchi with Bolognese sauce is served at Scoozi! for $13.50.
8 restaurant servings
INGREDIENTS
For gnocchi:
For sauce:
For sauce:
Heat olive oil in large sauté pan until it just begins to smoke. Add pork and beef and sauté until golden brown and cooked through. Break large chunks with a wooden spoon. Remove cooked meat with a slotted spoon and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of liquid left behind.
Return pan to heat and when it just begins to smoke add vegetables and sauté until golden brown. Remove vegetables from pan and pour off remaining liquid.
Return pan to heat and add red wine, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking wine until it reduces to a syrupy consistency.
Add chicken stock, tomato sauce, and tomato paste to pan and bring to a simmer. Add meat and vegetables and bay leaf to pan and return to a simmer.
Reduce heat to medium and let mixture slowly simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until liquid has reduced to a saucelike consistency. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
For gnocchi:
Peel the potatoes and simmer until they can be easily pierced with a small knife. Remove the potatoes from water and let them cool for 5 minutes. While still warm, pass the potatoes through a ricer and let cool for 5 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, mix ricotta, egg yolks, salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. (If the ricotta is too soft or watery, line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Set the bowl in the refrigerator and let it drain for 1 hour.)
Add the potato to the ricotta mixture and gently mix by hand. Be careful not to overwork. Add the flour in two portions, mixing by hand and being careful not to overwork.
Let the dough rest for 1 hour before portioning.
When ready, dust a clean work surface with flour and divide the dough into 4 portions. Gently roll the dough from the center outwards, stretching to create one long, ropelike piece. The dough should be about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.
With a bench scraper, cut the gnocchi into individual pieces approximately 1 inch long. Remove gnocchi to a baking tray dusted with flour. To cook, bring 2 quarts water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add 8 to 10 pieces of gnocchi and cook until all the gnocchi begin to float.
Warm 3 to 4 ounces Bolognese sauce in a sauté pan.
Quickly remove from boiling water and add gnocchi to the pan with warm Bolognese sauce. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
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