Beet Gnocchi with an Italian Cream Sauce/The Queen of Versailles

This recipe is messy. It's also a little strange because not only have I never made gnocchi before - I've never even eaten it. I think I made them too big, but that's pretty much out of laziness. I also didn't put a definite amount of flour you need to use. Beets and potatoes are of all different sizes, so you pretty much have to get the right consistency. I think I did that. I don't really care; they taste good and I hid my beets in there so I consider it a win for Kim.

For this week's viewing enjoyment, I give you this.

Are you still hungry?

Recipe: Beet Gnocchi with an Italian Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 medium beets

8 small red potatoes

flour (whole wheat and/or all purpose)

coarse salt

1 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp freeze dried basil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tbsp fresh thyme

McCormick's Italian Seasoning

Wash the beets and potatoes very well. Trim the ends off of the beets and quarter them. In separate pots, boil the potatoes for 40 minutes and the beets for 30. Drain them both and allow to cool for a few minutes. Process in a food processor until you have a pretty even consistency.

Put the mixture into a large bowl (watch out, it's going to be sticky!). This is where it gets tricky. Because beets and potatoes are wildly different sizes, you get to improvise here. I started with a cup of whole wheat flour and then gradually mixed in all purpose until it got to be the right consistency. The dough should be pretty moist, but not sticky enough to be unmanageable.

While you are shaping your gnocchi, bring a pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Working in batches (I did about 3 batches of 10), drop the gnocchi into the pot one by one, minding the splashing from the hot water. Boil for about 5 minutes, or until they start to float. Set aside on a plate with paper towel to dry.

For the sauce. Dice and cook the onion in a large fry pan. When the onion starts to brow, add the diced garlic and fresh rosemary and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add the rest of the seasonings and milk. Once this starts to boil, stir in the gnocchi. The sauce will also prevent the gnocchi from sticking together, as they can be pretty starchy. Enjoy!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Wash the beets and potatoes really well. I took this opportunity to wash some other veggies at the same time. Trim the ends off of the beets and quarter them.

Separately boil the beets for 30 minutes, and the potatoes for 40 (not pictured).

Process the two until smooth. It will be sticky!

Gradually add flour until it reaches a good consistency. See above paragraph for my technique (professional grade, obviously).

Roll the dough into gnocchi-looking things and boil for a few minutes until they start to float. It's easier to do this in batches.

Set aside on a paper towel to dry.

For the sauce, start by sauteing an onion until brown. Then add the garlic and seasonings and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add the milk and bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat and stir in the gnocchi.

EAT

Review: The Queen of Versailles

I had a hard time coming up with a movie to pair with this dish. It's a rich dish, but deceptively so because I used soy milk. The people in this movie act like they're rich, but they don't have that much money anymore.

The movie was actually really good, though. It's about a small-town-turned-beauty-queen that marries a time share mogul (for his money, obv). She's pretty out of touch with reality and only had a bunch of children because she has nannies and doesn't have to clean up after them, or really raise them in any way. She starts to see (kind of) that this is a problem when the economy tanks and people no longer want to buy time shares or pay for the ones they have. 

It's a really well done documentary that doesn't get too artsy and weird (which I like), and also doesn't take an obvious side (which I also like). It's interesting to see how differently Mr. and Mrs. Siegel feel about each other, and how far removed from reality the entire family is. It's a good Netflix instant watch, especially if you're into documentaries. Not that I'm promoting Netflix or anything. You should get rid of it and support your local movie store.