Gnocchi with Clams and Asparagus 義式蛤蜊芦笋麵疙瘩

After I success made the Gnocchi, I quickly use it to cook this Gnocchi with clams and asparagus. We tasted a similar pasta in a restaurant in Roma Italy near the hotel we stayed. We even went back the 2nd times and order the same gnocchi pasta.
It is easy for me to get fresh clams than fresh crabs in the wet market near my place. This lady selling fresh clams mainly sell the clams to restaurants. Sometime when I was late and no more clams, after I strong persuade her (amazing my bargain skill) , she will take the clams from the bag (reserved for those restaurants) and release some for me, hehehe..

 

Homemade gnocchi 

 

Even though I couldn't imitate the real taste of the gnocchi that we have tasted, but my version also tasted not bad ..

Gnocchi with Clams and Asparagus

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

Homemade Gnocchi

1.5kg clams
100g asparagus, only use the green part, cubed

Butter

Olive oil
Garlic, slices
Chicken stock or water
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese powder, to taste
Black pepper
Parsley flakes

 Method (Cook for one person at a time)

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water.
2. Heat butter and olive oil, sauté garlic slices.
3. Add in generous amount of clams (for one person) and asparagus, add in chicken stock, cover to cook.
4. Once clams are almost done, blanch gnocchi in hot boiling water. Once gnocchi float on top (take less than 1min), remove and add into clams.
5. Add in the seasonings salt,chicken stock powder and parmesan cheese powder, mix well, dish out.
6. Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley flakes, serve hot.

Gnocchi (Italian small potato dumplings) 義式麵疙瘩

I have seen gnocchi posted in other bloggers last time, but never thinking to make them at home. After I tasted the real gnocchi during the recent Italy trip, then only I started to make them at home. My first impression of the gnocchi that we took in Italy, the texture was light like cloud !!
Gnocchi (pronoun as nyoh-kee) is very easy to make at home, just by mixing potato, flour and egg.
They are eaten as an alternative to soups or pasta.

I actually brought back two pack of frozen gnocchi from Italy. But they tasted bad, maybe due to already spoilt or too much of preservative added..

Before I throw the package away, i read the label in the packing as to confirm what ingredients they use to make this gnocchi. Also went thru few sites and video, and I made my first gnocchi, but it was failed to hold the shape after adding other ingredients. Anyway, I managed to make gnocchi that tasted light like cloud and able to hold its shape on the 2nd attempted!

If compare homemade to the real gnocchi that I tasted, the texture is close to the original but the potato taste still has slight difference. The original can't really taste strong potato taste, not sure what type of potato they use, should be Italian potatoes..

Ya, don't ever use the common Holland potatoes that we easily found in the market, because they will tasted like "Kuih Keria", LOL.. 

I learnt that bake potatoes in oven produce lighter gnocchi than boiled  potatoes in water.

In my next post, I will share with you the pasta dish that I cooked with this Gnocchi ..

Gnocchi (Italian small potato dumplings) 義式麵疙瘩

(recipe source: adapted from various sources, re-created by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

500g mashed potato (US Russet potato)

1 egg yolk
50g cake flour
25g potato starch
1/4tsp fine salt

Rice flour, for dusting

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.
2. Poke holes in potatoes with fork as to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour.
3. Remove potato skin while hot. Mash the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. (If you don't have a potato ricer you can mash the potatoes by using fork, then sift the potato).
4. Add the cake flour, potato starch, egg yolk and salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not over-mix.
5. Prepare a work area and dust it with rice flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 1” in diameter.
6. Cut the tubes of dough into pieces ( about 7g per pc). Using a fork, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce). As the gnocchi are made, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with rice flour. Gnocchi is ready to put into simmering water for the next step.
7. You can also freeze the gnocchi if not use them immediately. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray, then once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage.

Baked Tomato Pasta with Cheese



Actually I am not intend to make any post today. Mui Mui -My Little Favourite DIY yesterday message me that her Tomato event will only end by 4th Apr, ask me whether anymore tomato post to submit..So as to support her, I post this baked pasta with cheese which I encore from my previous post..My kids very often request me to make this pasta for them as they love the baked cheese on top..

Nowadays I don't quite like to use ready pasta tomato sauce, instead I like to cook it with Italian tomato puree..And this time I did a simple way, just minced chicken with tomato puree..



Baked Pasta with Cheese

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

*serves 4-5

375g ground meat (beef or chicken)

350g Spaghetti

1 onion, chopped

4 garlics, chopped

1 and ½ cup Italian tomato puree

3tbsp olive oil

Sweet basil leaves ( I use local basil this time)

Black pepper powder

1tsp and 1/2tsp salt or to taste

1tsp sugar or to taste

Some parsley flakes

350g shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions( add 1tbsp salt and Olive oil in boiling water)

2. Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic with 3tbsp olive oil till brown.

3. Add in ground meat, stir fry until color changed.

4. Add in tomato puree and basil leaves,continue to cook for 10-15mins.

5. Add in seasonings and black pepper powder, put cooked spaghetti into meat sauce, mix well (if sauce is dry, add some spaghetti water).

6. Turn off fire, sprinkle parsley flakes on top.

7. In a casserole dish, add in spaghetti with meat sauce, top with cheese. Bake 7-10mins at 200c pre-heated oven(set to grill function).



8. Serve hot, enjoy!



This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Mui Mui my little favourite DIY with the event title "Tomato" ..

Chicken and Tomato Pasta 番茄鸡肉意粉

The other day i bought a small pot of sweet basil and rosemary plants from Sungai Buloh nursery. The sweet basil still looking good but rosemary already half die..so sad..I prepared this easy and yummy pasta for a lunch the other day, love the nice aroma from sweet basil when toss together with this pasta.

I like to using fresh tomato to cook pasta nowadays, taste better than those ready pasta sauce from supermarket..slightly sour taste from tomato and nice aroma from sweet basil leaves, they just made this pasta tasted so refreshing !!

Chicken and Tomato Pasta 番茄鸡肉意粉
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

300g chicken breast, cubed
3 large tomatoes, cubed
8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

400g spaghetti
A handful of sweet basil leaves, chopped

Method
1. In a pot with boiling water, add 1tbsp sea salt and 3tbsp olive oil and cook spaghetti until al-dente. Drain and put cooked spaghetti in individual serving plate, set aside.
2. You may cook one serving at a time (taste better!) or cook all in one time. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add in garlic slices and sauté till aroma.
3. Add in chicken meat, stir fry till color changed.
4. Add in tomatoes and mix well. Pour in cooked spaghetti water and cook till tomatoes turned soft, adjust the taste accordingly.
5. Top spaghetti with cooked chicken and tomatoes with the gravy, garnish with chopped sweet basil leaves, Enjoy!!

Thai Seafood Spaghetti

My daughter just told me this spaghetti is so so good ! I just cooked this spaghetti for lunch today, and my daughter always the first person who enjoy the lunch as her class start at afternoon.

This pasta was inspired by a similar plate of yummy pasta we took during our recent trip to Bangkok. I have been thinking to cook this at home one day. Finally after i gather all seafoods, i cook this pasta today.

I have a small pot of sweet basil, i almost plucked all the leaves from the whole plant..^^ hopefully it will grow faster, so i can cook this pasta again.
Try not to cook big volume at one go, cook person by person, easy to handle and taste better.

Thai Seafood Spaghetti
Recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover
*serves 4 pax

300g spaghetti

300g clams
150g shrimps
150g squids

A bunch of fresh sweet Basil
20pcs of cherry tomatoes

Ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Chicken stock powder to taste

Method
1. Cooked spaghetti in hot boiling water (add salt and olive oil) for 8mins, drain and set aside. Keep the cooked water for later use.
2. Heat up a pan, add in olive oil and garlic, sauté for few seconds.
3. Add in shrimps, squids, cherry tomatoes and clams, quickly stir for few seconds.
4. Add in cooked spaghetti and some cooked spaghetti water, add in seasonings and ground black pepper, quickly stir and add in basil, and turn off heat when clams is cooked (shell open).
5. Serve hot.

Baked Spaghetti with meat sauce

My kids not only like to eat Spaghetti with meat sauce, they also like to top up with a lot of mozzarella cheese and bake the spaghetti. So this is the baked spaghetti with meat sauce that i usually prepare for them for a quick and simple lunch.

Spaghetti ready to bake with cheese..

Mommy more cheese please...

Baked Spaghetti with meat sauce
(recipe souce: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

*serves 4-5

250g ground meat (beef or chicken)
350g Spaghetti
1 onion, chopped
4 garlics, chopped
1 and ½ cup pasta sauce
1 Bay leaf
3tbsp olive oil
1/2 green pepper, sliced
100g canned button mushroom, sliced
2tbsp parmesan cheese powder
Some parsley flakes
1tsp salt or to taste
1 and ½ sugar or to taste

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic with olive oil till brown.
3. Add in ground meat, stir fry for a while.
4. Add in pasta sauce, bay leaf, mushroom, green pepper and water, continue to cook for 10-15mins.
5. Add in seasonings, put cooked spaghetti into meat sauce, mix well (if sauce is dry, add some spaghetti water).
6. Turn off fire, sprinkle parmesan cheese powder and parsley flakes on top.
7. In a casserole dish, add in spaghetti with meat sauce, top with cheese. Bake 7-10mins at 200c pre-heated oven(set to grill function).
8. Serve hot, enjoy!

Happy Cooking and Happy Weekend ahead ....