Asian Noodle Salad

I was looking for a quick noodle dish and had a hankering for some Chinese noodles. Yes I said hankering. It was the first word that popped in my silly brain. I have found that during the hot summer days I do not want to heat up the kitchen. I am envy of those people that have summer kitchens. Looking through the grocery aisle I found some Hokkien stir fry noodles. Like the Uncle Ben's rice that you microwave for 90 seconds these noodles were the same. That means no turning on the stove! Here is the recipe:

1 pkg of Hokkien Stir-Fry Noodles
1/3 cup of rice vinegar
1/3 cup of stir-fry oil
1/2 bottle of Sweet Chili Sauce
1 bag of sliced red cabbage
1 bag of baby kale or spinach chopped
1 red onion sliced
1 yellow pepper sliced
1 bag of bean sprouts ( you can use canned but drain them )
3 carrots shredded
chopped cilantro for garnish
chopped cashews for garnish

Microwave the noodles for 90 seconds and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add and stir the vinegar, stir-fry oil, and chili sauce together. Add the rest of the ingredients leaving the noodles till last. Add noodles and stir. Let sit for about 15 minutes till all the flavors marry.

ENJOY!

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. of potato, approx. 4 lg. potatoes, 6 sm. potatoes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup or more for working dough
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
*General rule of thumb: 1 medium-sized potato per serving or person. For every potato, you want to use approximately 1/2 cup of flour.

Directions:

Ricing Potatoes:
First, clean and peel potatoes. Remove any brown spots. Cut potatoes into 1” cubes; be sure to cut into cubes consistent in size so that they cook evenly. Place cut potatoes in a medium-sized pot; fill with water just to cover. Add salt and cover with a lid. Stirring occasionally, boil potatoes for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Over-boiling will cause potatoes to become mushy and too wet.
Remove potatoes from water; drain well. Allow them to cool in a colander or over cheesecloth. Rice potatoes using a potato ricer and keep in a towel to remove excess water.
Making Pasta:
Mound 2.5 cups of flour on the middle of a wooden board or a clean, dry countertop. Lightly flour work area. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the riced potatoes to the center. Create another well in the center of the potatoes. Break egg in the center. Add pinch of salt.
Using a fork, begin to incorporate ingredients for dough by pulling flour into the center. Slowly mix in only as much flour as the potato can absorb. You may not need all of the flour.
Once the dough starts to come together, begin kneading, adding as much flour as necessary to hold dough together.
Form wide rectangle with dough. Cut dough into about 8 pieces, 4 inches long. For shorter, heavy gnocchi, roll dough into thick ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Some use a fork to make ribs, others indent gently with their thumb. For thinner gnocchi, roll long ropes. Cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Note: While you are shaping gnocchi, finished gnocchi should be kept in a heavily floured area as to prevent sticking.
Also, keep in a cool place until ready to cook. No more than 45 minutes, or else place in the freezer.
Cooking Gnocchi:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and then gnocchi. Gnocchi are finished once they float to the top, approximately 3-5 minutes. They are done when tender, not mushy. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss in a saucepan with your favorite sauce.
For best taste and texture, allow gnocchi to “sit” in their sauce once cooked for about 5 minutes.
Serves 6

Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi With Butter Sage Sauce

This dish is definetly for this time of year. Especially because of the pumpkin added. Gnocchi is very easy to make. The pumpkin gnocchi and the sage and butter go perfect together.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (1 cup grated for recipe, 1 cup shaved to serve)
5 cups all-purpose flour (approximately 2 cups in dough, 3 for handling)
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups of butter
Drizzle of DeLallo Balsamic Vinegar
10 sage leaves

Directions:

Making Dough:
Combine ricotta, pumpkin, parmigiano, eggs, lemon zest, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup of flour to bowl and mix. Once combined well, lightly flour countertop or board where you will work; empty bowl. Add another cup of flour to dough mixture. Knead the dough until it comes together, using flour as necessary to prevent stickiness. Be careful not to over-flour, which will dry out dough and result in hard gnocchi.
Making Pasta:
Form wide rectangle with dough. Cut dough into about 8 pieces, 4 inches long. For shorter, heavy gnocchi, roll dough into thick ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Some use a fork to make ribs, others indent gently with their thumb. For thinner gnocchi, roll long ropes. Cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Note: While you are shaping gnocchi, finished gnocchi should be kept in a heavily floured area as to prevent sticking.
Also, keep in a cool place until ready to cook. No more than 45 minutes, or else place in the freezer.
Cooking Gnocchi:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and then gnocchi. Gnocchi are finished once they float to the top, approximately 3-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan on medium low heat, melt butter. Once melted, add sage leaves and stir. Toss gnocchi with butter sage sauce to incorporate. On medium heat, cook together for approximately 2 minutes.
For best taste and texture, allow gnocchi to “sit” in their sauce once cooked for about 5 minutes. To serve, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.
Serves 6