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Posts tagged ‘tomato sauce’

Jul 25

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Who Kneads Pizza Dough?


I love bread and have kneaded it in various countries, in 45ºC kitchens, in electric, gas and wood ovens. While the kneading part (and the stoking the fire part) can be a satisfying and even a therapeutic exercise, it is more labour-intensive and time-consuming for many cooks these days. And we can buy such good bread here now that it hardly seems necessary to make it at home. Enter Jim Lahey, whose revolutionary no-knead bread dough has been written about in food columns for several years. And for good reason. Mixing the dough briefly, then a long slow rise, results in a crispy, chewy, flavourful loaf. Provided you plan ahead, the method is uncomplicated and you get the joy of smelling the intoxicating aroma of bread-baking at home and the kudos you receive for producing it! Read more

Jul 3

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Duck Ragù with Potato Gnocchi

As with all ragùs, the flavour of this dish is enhanced by making it in advance and it also freezes well. The recipe here is basically the same as Nancy Silverton’s in The Mozza Cookbook except that I omitted the duck liver and did not finish the dish with the added 6T. of finishing-quality olive oil that she suggests.

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Jan 28

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Easy Ricotta Gnocchi

GnocchiI have recently discovered, thanks to 8ateateight.com, a melt-in-your-mouth, simple-to-prepare Italian ricotta gnocchi recipe that produces gnocchi much lighter than their potato cousins. You can make them up in 10 minutes, freeze them, then cook them to order. Make sure you have a good quality ricotta cheese, like the one photographed below, which can be purchased at Les Amis du Fromage. I served them with tomato sauce (recipe following) or you can sauté them in butter and sage, or toss them with pesto, or meat sauce, or… Read more