When I saw Chow’s tweet “Can you eat on $4 a day?” I thought that they had lost their mind. Seriously who could eat off of $4 a day? Any idea? According to The Hunger Challenge website $4 a day is the amount a Californian on food stamps has to live on.
The first thing I did when I got up this morning was create a menu for days of the 2009 Hunger Challenge – September 20-26. I am used to eating 5 small well-balanced meals a day on a budget at least double what is giving to people on food stamps.
I’m saddened that there are more than 35 million people in our country that live on a food stamp budget. I think that everybody should have the right and the means to eat a well balanced diet. In my first day of the challenge I can tell you that there is NO WAY that anyone can have a balanced diet on $4 a day.
I will post my results as often as I can. If you’re up for the challenge go here….Offical Website
Potato Gnocchi
Gnocchi Gnocchi – it’s taken me more than a week to write about these pillow like dumplings. There’s a lot of history behind the making and origin of gnocchi. I’ll save you from reading about the history and get right into the good part.
How to make them - fresh hand made gnocchi speaks for it self. They are light, fluffy, comforting, and takes well to a variety of sauces. So there’s not much more to say other than I hope you make them for yourself.
The secret behind a perfectly textured gnocchi is to not over work the dough. I can’t tell you how long or how hard to knead the dough. What you’re looking for is the dough to be just dry enough not to stick to your hands.
To serve two main entrees boil a large russet potato until its fork tender; about 20 -25 minutes. Let the potato rest, out of the water, until its cool enough to peel. Pass the potato, through a ricer or a grater, on a sheet pan. Refrigerate for an hour to dry.
After an hour bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Whisk together one whole egg and a pinch of salt and set aside. Mound the potatoes on a lightly-floured surface and form a well in the center. Pour the egg in the center, a couple of pinches of salt, and dust with a ¼ cup of all purpose flour.
With a fork incorporate the flour, eggs, and potatoes until a ball is formed. Dust with another ¼ c of flour until the dough is just dry enough not to stick to your hands. A total of ½ c to ¾ c of flour plus a little more for dusting will be needed.
Cut the dough into 4-6 equal parts and let rest, covered, for 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, roll the portions of dough lightly with your hands in a back and forth motion on a floured surface into a ½” thick rope. Cut each rope into ½” pieces, you can roll the pieces down the back of your fork to make groves. Use flour as needed – be careful not to let the pieces stick together.
Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a little at a time. Remove the gnocchi after they rise to the top of the water. Completely drain gnocchi before adding the sauce of your choice. The gnocchi will have a light and springy texture that will speak for themselves.
How to make them - fresh hand made gnocchi speaks for it self. They are light, fluffy, comforting, and takes well to a variety of sauces. So there’s not much more to say other than I hope you make them for yourself.
The secret behind a perfectly textured gnocchi is to not over work the dough. I can’t tell you how long or how hard to knead the dough. What you’re looking for is the dough to be just dry enough not to stick to your hands.
To serve two main entrees boil a large russet potato until its fork tender; about 20 -25 minutes. Let the potato rest, out of the water, until its cool enough to peel. Pass the potato, through a ricer or a grater, on a sheet pan. Refrigerate for an hour to dry.
After an hour bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Whisk together one whole egg and a pinch of salt and set aside. Mound the potatoes on a lightly-floured surface and form a well in the center. Pour the egg in the center, a couple of pinches of salt, and dust with a ¼ cup of all purpose flour.
With a fork incorporate the flour, eggs, and potatoes until a ball is formed. Dust with another ¼ c of flour until the dough is just dry enough not to stick to your hands. A total of ½ c to ¾ c of flour plus a little more for dusting will be needed.
Cut the dough into 4-6 equal parts and let rest, covered, for 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, roll the portions of dough lightly with your hands in a back and forth motion on a floured surface into a ½” thick rope. Cut each rope into ½” pieces, you can roll the pieces down the back of your fork to make groves. Use flour as needed – be careful not to let the pieces stick together.
Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a little at a time. Remove the gnocchi after they rise to the top of the water. Completely drain gnocchi before adding the sauce of your choice. The gnocchi will have a light and springy texture that will speak for themselves.
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