Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi

What's Going on Today: Enjoying Memorial Day weekend on Martha's Vineyard.

Naptime Goals: Whip up some Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi during naptime, pop it in the fridge until dinner. Read magazines in the sun.

Tonight's Menu: Ricotta Gnocchi with butter and cheese, green salad, fish on the grill.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: Fresh air + sun = happy children.

Memorial Day on the Vineyard was relaxed and low-key, just the way we like it. The weather was so nice that we didn't really want to spend any time indoors, even during naptime. In order to maximize our time at the beach, I mostly concentrated on prepping food after my daughter's bedtime and, for dinner, I stuck to recipes that could be completed in a relatively short time-frame.

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi is exactly one of these dishes. I make it a lot and really should have told you about it before now. To prepare the gnocchi I simply mix the four ingredients in a  bowl, form the logs and cut out the dumplings during naptime. Then I place them in plastic container and leave them, covered, in the fridge until dinner. Cooking them is amazingly easy and efficient. Bring salted water to a boil, add the gnocchi and cook them until they rise to the surface. This takes about five minutes, which is just enough time to make some browned butter with sage and get the Parmesan cheese out of the fridge.

Combined with our favorite fish from the grill and a green salad, our gnocchi rounded out a gorgeous dinner. It was also a hit with our daughter, ever the fan of anything with browned butter. Rest assured, gnocchi is not the only homemade thing I cooked over the weekend. In fact, I did an entire film about another dinner I made and will be writing about that on Thursday. Not surprisingly, the meal was also centered around some amazingly fresh seafood. I swear, there is nothing like a trip to The Net Result, our local Vineyard fish store, to signal the beginning of summer.

P.S. While you're waiting for the next post, pop over to my blog on The Family Kitchen at Babble for the chance to win a trio of Tessa Kiros books! (The contest runs for one week.)

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

2 c. good quality ricotta cheese

3 T. finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 c. all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.

2. While the water is heating up, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, flour and salt in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

3. Lightly flour your hands and roll out the dough into thin sausages about 1/4" thick. Be careful not to add too much flour on your hands or the surface of the counter or the gnocchi will get tough.

4. Cut gnocchi with a sharp knife into pieces about 3/4" long. Drop into boiling water and cook for about 45 seconds, or until they float to the surface. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place in serving bowls. Serve with pesto, tomato sauce or browned butter sauce.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Variations and Ideas: Gnocchi tastes great with many different toppings. I recommend Perfect Pesto, Tomato Pesto, Fresh Tomato Sauce, Butter and Cheese or any kind of light butter and herb sauce.

Naptime Stopwatch: Preparing the dumplings takes 10 minutes, cooking them in boiling water takes 5.

Naptime Reviews: This is a wonderful dish for both adults and children. It is soft and easy to chew for toddler and goes well with almost any topping they might like.

Apple Bread for a New Home: Cooking with Tessa Kiros

What's Going on Today: Almost finished unpacking! Morning walk to Main Street to get tea and check out the childrens section at the local library.

Naptime Goals: Bake Apple Bread to take to friend's house, organize cookbooks on new kitchen shelves.

Tonight's Menu: Dinner at a friend's house.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: It is truly remarkable how quickly children make new friends.

We've have nearly completed our first week living in Connecticut and so far so good. In fact, it's been pretty great. Of course, I could have done without my daughter smashing her front tooth on the base of the slide at the playground, but that seems to be par for the course with parenthood. Just when you think everything is going smoothly a new injury is sustained and mayhem ensues. Thankfully, we found a fabulous pediatric dentist in town and all has been repaired.

One of the many great things about moving to this town is that we already know a family who lives here. Even better, we know them well enough that they invited us over for casual neighborhood dinner to introduce us to their friends. As the newbies in town we couldn't have been more grateful for the invitation, even my daughter was excited since their is son is exactly three days older than she is. I can already tell they are destined to be playmates.

With my kitchen unpacked and all of my ingredients on hand it seemed only natural that I express my gratitude by baking them a little treat. I wanted to make something that was completely family-friend so I went straight to my favorite Tessa Kiros volume, Apples for Jam, and opened to an old favorite, Apple Bread. Much like banana bread, this loaf is soft and chewy, flavored with sweet fruit and topped with warm spices. It is perfect for adults and children alike and is great for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack.

This bread was the first thing I Naptime Chef-ed in my new kitchen and it was perfect. While it baked any remaining whiff of fresh paint was quickly erased by the comforting aroma of warm cinnamon and apples. Since this recipe usually makes one large loaf I decided to divide the batter into two smaller loaf pans. When they cooled I wrapped one to take to our friends, and let my daughter have a fresh warm slice of the other when she woke up. Our dinner was wonderful and the food delicious. It was a great evening with new friends and the perfect way to kick-off sweet new beginnings.

Apple Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Topping

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

10 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cardamom

Pinch Kosher salt

2 Apples, peeled, cored and grated on a box grater

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped (optional)

Topping:

2/3 c. walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

1/3 c. freshly packed brown sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 12x4 inch loaf pan, or two smaller loaf pans.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Then, add the eggs and beat them well. The mixture will still look slightly curdled, but that's fine.

3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients bit by bit until they are totally incorporated. Then, stir in the apples, walnuts and vanilla until just combined. Prepare the topping by mixing the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon in one bowl.

4. Pour prepared batter into loaf pan(s) and sprinkle with topping mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Serving Suggestions: This is a great bread for any kind of day. In the morning try it with a dollop of yogurt of schmear of cream cheese.

Naptime Stopwatch: Preparing the batter takes 15 minutes and then baking is about 40 minutes.

Naptime Reviews: This is a great family-friendly bread. My daughter loves it and refers to it as apple cake!

Penne with Artichoke Hearts: Cooking with Tessa Kiros

What's Going on Today: Crazy Friday - daughter's pre-school class, lunch date, after naptime coffee with friends.

Naptime Goals: Catch up on correspondence, order more summer clothes for daughter, prepare for the weekend. Make artichoke heart sauce.

Tonight's Menu: Tessa's Penne with Artichoke Hearts, slice of Banana Bread for dessert.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: TGIF. It applies to all of us.

This week has been wonderful - daffodils are springing up everything, masses of birds flit around the parks and we can't get enough of the playground and parks. Funny though, with all this natural beauty to call us outdoors I've noticed that the pace of life has quickened. Tenfold. All of a sudden it is Friday and I have no idea where the time has gone. No matter though, tonight I am going to pull out one of our old favorite, Tessa Kiros' Penne with Artichoke Hearts.

You all know artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables and this is one of my favorite ways to cook with them. I love the way Tessa tosses them with pasta and a basic pan sauce. The flavors are simple, clean and satisfying. To prepare this during naptime I only have to do one thing - make the sauce. My favorite method for doing start out naptime by sauteing the artichokes then adding the broth so they can simmer away while I do other things. Sometimes I use fresh artichokes for this dish too, I just didn't happen to pick any up today so I am using the frozen ones from my freezer instead.

This is one of those dishes that it is best not to over think. Simply prepare the artichokes as instructed and gently toss them with the pasta. That's all it takes to serve a warm, spring meal for dinner after a long week out and about. This is one of my go-to spring dinners, especially when artichokes are in season and it is bound to become one of yours as well.

Penne with Artichoke Hearts

adapted from Twelve by Tessa Kiros

1 9oz. box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
3 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 t. dried thyme
3 c. low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
Kosher salt and Pepper
1 1lb. penne or other kind of short pasta
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan for serving

1. In a wide, shallow sauce pan heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, thyme and the artichoke hearts, saute until tender and a little golden on the edges. About 4 minutes. Then, add the broth and set it to simmer over low-medium heat until it is reduced to less than 1 c. of liquid. Before you turn off the heat taste it for seasonings and add a few pinches of salt and pepper as needed.
2. Boil the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Place it in a large bowl and toss it with the artichoke sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Ideas: This recipe doubles well and would be great served at a luncheon or on a buffet. If you wanted some extra texture you could also consider adding some sliced almonds.

Naptime Stopwatch: 5 minutes to prepare the sauce, 30 minutes for it to simmer.

Naptime Reviews:  My daughter is unsure about artichoke hearts but loved the smooth, creamy pasta. My husband adored this, especially after a long week at work.

Pork Schnitzel: Cooking with Tessa Kiros

What's Going on Today: Hallelujah - it's warm enough for the playground!

Naptime Goals: Bread Pork to make for tonight's dinner, chop vegetables for salad.

Tonight's Menu: Pork Schnitzel, Seasoned Party Rice, chopped salad, Rhubarb and Blood Orange dessert from River Cafe (via Food52)

Parenting Lesson of the Day: Children + Fresh Air = Long naptime.

It is hard to find a place to begin cooking when working from Tessa's book Falling Cloudberries. In this volume Tessa takes us on mouthwatering culinary journeys through Finland, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and South Africa, all countries she has lived in during her lifetime. Each chapter includes memories, the family members who lived there and visual reminders of her experiences. Frankly, the poetry and photography within these pages are enough to make me grab my passport and book a ticket to each local, it is all so beautiful and unique.

The recipes within each chapter are amazing as well, each reflecting their country of origin in flavor and ingredients. To make things easier on myself I decided to start at the beginning, with the Finland chapter. In a way this is quite fitting since my friend's who live there just had a baby (welcome Charlotte!) and since my husband just told me he was in the mood for pork. In a weird way these two, completely unrelated, events signaled to me that it was perfect time for Tessa's Pork Schnitzel.



The beauty of this recipe is that I can pound and bread the meat while my daughter naps. Then I place it, covered, in a fridge until it's time to cook later on. I also like the fact that pounding the meat is done during naptime. Letting loose on the meat is fun and is a great way to vent frustration so, needless to say, it is best done when children are not around. Finishing the dish in the evening takes mere minutes and, best of all, it something even my toddler enjoys. I cut one of the pork pieces into strips and served it to her while we ate ours whole.

There were some leftovers from this recipe and, per Tessa's suggestion, I made a sandwich with it the following day.  It was a delicious way to enjoy a great meal for the second time. I also think it would have been good if I'd chopped it up and tossed it with a salad. Either way, it is the dish that keeps on giving in more ways than one. Now that I've completed the first recipe in the Finland chapter I think I'll turn the page to Cyprus and see what's next!

Pork Schnitzel

adapted from Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros
2 eggs
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 t. Paprika
1 t. Rosemary, finely chopped
2/3 c. breadcrumbs
4 3oz. Pork cutlets
Olive Oil

1. Place the pork slices between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder or heavy rolling pin, beat pork until it is 1/2 inch thick.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until all of the yolks are broken up. Then, add the garlic, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper. Then, place the breadcrumbs on a flat plate next to the egg mixture.
3. Dip a pork slices in the egg mixture and make sure it is thoroughly coated, then transfer to breadcrumbs and turn over to coat the entire slice of pork. Then, place it in a baking dish if storing in the fridge for the afternoon. Repeat with remaining pork.
4. In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil until just before smoking and add the pork cutlets. Saute until they are nicely golden brown and cooked through.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Variations and Ideas: For a twist on flavor the pork would be delicious if you added Parmesan cheese and some different fresh chopped herbs like thyme or basil to the breading. Or,  simple leave it totally plain and finish it out with a lemon butter sauce.
Naptime Stopwatch: 20 minutes to bread the meat, 10 minutes for cooking in the evening.
Naptime Reviews: This is a great recipe for adults and kids. If your kids like things in "strip" form like mine does these days then simply cut up the cutlet and serve with dipping sauce.

Pear Butter Cake: Cooking with Tessa Kiros

What's Going on Today: My daughter is mad at me because I didn't make it to the store in time and they are sold out of sleds! (Hoping someone will let us borrow one when we get to the hill!)

Naptime Goals: Bake Pear Butter Cake, place chicken in the marinade - leave it in the fridge until dinner.

Tonight's Menu: Soyaki Chicken Thighs, Carrot Souffle, green salad, Pear Butter Cake

Parenting Lesson of the Day: You feel guilty when the reason they didn't get what they wanted is because you didn't try hard enough.

We have been on a pear kick in our house lately. Every morning my daughter and I slice up a Bosc or two and enjoy a big bowl of them while we wait for our oatmeal to cook. My husband loves pears too, however, he's usually gone by the time we wake up in the morning so I try to make sure there are some in the fruit bowl when he gets home.

The other day I was doing my weekly flip through Apples for Jam - I read it as regularly as I read the newspaper - and came across this recipe for Pear Butter Cake. Perfect, I thought, just the thing to make for a dessert after a hearty winter meal. Plus, it would be a really nice way to give my husband a nice pear dessert - his ultimate favorite and something I've definitely slacked on this winter. 

Like all of Tessa's recipes, the beauty of this cake it in it's simplicity. It's easily to assemble and has an almost rustic quality to it. The flavor comes from the citrus zest and vanilla and perfect layer of pears on top. While it bakes the sugar on top of the pears forms a syrup that seeps into the top of the cake, giving it a light pear flavor that enhances the soft spices of cardamom and nutmeg that have been gently folded into the batter. 

We were so thrilled with this cake in every way. It was light, flavorful and incredibly simple for me to bake while my daughter napped. Once I assembled the batter and started it baking I was able to put the chicken thighs into marinate and spend the rest of my time catching up on my to-do list. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking delicious fruit dessert to make at a time when most fruits aren't in season. That said, after the debacle of not making it to the store in time to buy a sled for my daughter, I can't wait for winter to be over so I can stop thinking about snow activities. It is time for spring to be on it's way!

Pear Butter Cake

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

13 T. unsalted butter, room temperautre
2/3 c. superfine sugar, or regular sugar blitzed in the food processor for 3 minutes, plus 2 T. for the top
1 t. good quality vanilla extract
1 t. lemon zest (Meyer lemon is preferable)
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/4 t. nutmeg
3 eggs, room temperature
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. buttermilk or half-n-half
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3 ripe Bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced thin in vertical strips.

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9" springform pan.
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, with the mixer on low add vanilla, lemon zest, cardamom and nutmeg and mix well. Next, add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
3. Scrape down the sides and restart the mixer, adding the flour and baking powder alternatively with the buttermilk until the batter is smooth.
4. Using a spatula, scrape the batter out of the bowl and into the cake pan so that the surface is somewhat level. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes carefully remove the cake from the oven and arrange the pears in a circle around the edge of the cake and add an additional circle on the top. Sprinkle remaining 2 T. of sugar on top and place back in the oven.
6. Bake for another 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool before releasing from the pan, then serve warm.
*Note: Cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days if wrapped in plastic wrap with an outer layer of aluminum foil.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Variations and Ideas: The next time I make this I am going to try apple slice on top, I bet they will be delicious. You can also place with the spices if you feel like it, add a little cinnamon or alter the amount of nutmeg.

Naptime Stopwatch: Assembling this batter takes all of 10 minutes. The longest part is slicing the pears, it helps to practice a bit if you want them to look really pretty on the cake.

Naptime Reviews: Everyone in our family loved this cake, including my daughter who was mesmerized with the idea of pears in baked form!

Tomato Risotto: Cooking with Tessa Kiros

What’s Going on Today: Packing for return to NYC, building last few sand castles on the beach.

Naptime Goals: Reading on the balcony, gather up toys to pack in the diaper bag for the flight.

Tonight’s Meal: Tomato Risotto, Salad

It seems appropriate to kick-off my Cooking with Tessa series while on vacation. If you’ve ever read one of her books you’ll understand that Tessa’s approach to cooking is very similar to mine. She is an accomplished professional chef (I am not a professional, but I feel like one when I cook from her books), busy wife and mother of two. It is clear through her writing and photographs that she is constantly fitting great food into family life and I am simply in awe for her capability to do so.

I’ve been cooking from her books for quite some time, and this is one of my favorite dishes. It’s not a stretch to say that I make this at least twice a month, so it only makes sense that I share this recipe first. 

I chose to make this during our stay in Florida because it is so easy and delicious. Though my daughter has been taking long naps on vacation, (there is nothing like fresh air to tire a kid out!), I’ve been using that free time to relax myself. Therefore, when it comes to make dinner each night I stick to menus that are light, delicious and easy to assemble. In this case I made the Risotto and salad right before dinner time and served some fresh fruit for dessert. 

Note: I plan to continue Cooking with Tessa on a bi-monthly basis, giving you a background on her and her work, sharing favorite recipes and fun tidbits along the way. Enjoy!

Tomato Risotto

Adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

½ red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

Pinch red pepper

2 large basil leaves, torn

1 c. Arborio rice

4 T. olive oil

3 c. vegetable broth

1 c. crushed tomatoes, with juices

2/3 c. fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

½ c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1. In a wide heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes, or until light and golden. Add the red pepper flakes and rice, cook for one minute more.

2. Next, add ½ c. of the tomatoes, 1 ½ c. hot broth and 1 of the torn basil leaves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the remaining tomatoes, broth and basil and cook for 10 more minutes, until risotto is fully cooked.

3. Scoop out the smashed garlic and discard. Stir in the mozzarella and Parmesan. Serve with extra Parmesan and drizzle of olive oil. 

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Variation & Ideas: Risotto is one of best kinds of flexible meals. You can add, or subtract, almost anything from it and still have a delicious dish. In this case you could consider adding different herbs, chopped vegetables or even some crumbled sausage. Have fun with the flavors!

Naptime Stopwatch: On vacation I was able to make this in 30 minutes from start to finish. Serve it hot, or make it ahead and reheat it when you want to serve it.

Naptime Notes: This is a great dish for both children and adults. Everyone in the family loves it, it even makes a great first course at a dinner party.