A Short Post about a Loooong Process

The preface for Storzapretis, aka Corsican Spinach and Mint Gnocchi (pg 376) should spell out that it will take you the entirety of your lifetime to complete, and it will not be worth your effort. I started cooking this around 6. Dinner did not get on the table until 9:30. It took a few tries to get the hang of shaping the "quenelles" with two spoons, but that's the only thing I can think of that I could have done faster. The recipe didn't hide the stages, but I had no idea that I was in for 3.5 hours of constant work, besides the 30 minutes where the gnocchi cools in the fridge.

I always thought that gnocchi were, by definition, potato-based. That's all I've ever had, at least. My experience of them is that they're pretty firm and dense. I wanted to know how balls of ricotta cheese mixed with one egg, spinach, mint, a touch of flour, and a Swiss/Parmesan combo (she calls for gruyere, but almost all of her recipes do, and it's $9 a pop. I assume it's cheaper in France) could come out tasting or feeling like anything except a ball of flavored ricotta. I'll save you the time and answer the question: they can't.

They look cute now, but don't let 'em fool you. They have no intention of keeping their shape.

Once all the gnocchi were formed, then floured, then cooled, then boiled, then dunked in ice-water, then patted dry with a million paper towels, they are arranged in a dish and baked with tomato sauce and cheese until the sauce boils. Once served, the damn delicate darlings don't even hold their shape. What's the point? I could have just baked the un-boiled, un-shaped ricotta cheese under sauce and swiss, and ended up with the same result. You should have seen Matt's face when I set a plate of ricotta mash in front of him. We wound up smearing it on pieces of bread. 

Conclusion: Hate it because it took 3.5 hours to make something that was advertised as gnocchi, and it is not gnocchi. It's not even sort of like gnocchi. This mix of mint and spinach and cheese would make an awesome filling for ravioli or manicotti, but it is not a stand-alone dish. Urge to kill...RISING.

On a happier note, I baked bagels today, and they were spectacular. I'm from Brooklyn, NY, and I have cursed the bagels in DC, Norfolk, Pennsylvania, and Texas. I should have tried to bake my own years ago. They are perfect.