Gnocchi x gnocchi

Gnocchi di patata ? Gnocchi di polenta ?

That’s the Daring Cook’s challenge of this month : potato gnocchi.

Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with!

As I had already made some and I wanted a fresher Summer version, I tried to combine polenta gnocchi and potato gnocchi recipes :

It’s gluten free. I didn’t add flour. I cooked the polenta, and made mashed potato. I mixed about 60% potato, 40% polenta. Flavored with salt, nutmeg, black pepper, a little olive oil. Let cool a few hours.

Prepared a sauce (tomato, garlic, olive oil) and stir-fried peppers and onions with garlic and rosemary.

Formed gnocchi with the chilled dough, coated them in sauce.
They can’t be boiled or they would fall apart (yep, I tried). It’s not a problem, they can reheated in the sauce.

Actually, I ate the second serving not reheated and the dish is as good hot as cold. It’s great for this hot season.

Caramelized onion polentart

A golden version of the pissaladiere, the onion and anchovy tart from Provence.

I add a second polenta tart crust left from when I baked this tarte polenta.
I’ve painted it with olive oil, baked it.

Garnished with onions cooked till brown in the olive oil from a can of anchovies with a little garlic. Garnished the crust. Added red chili and a few anchovy filets. Re-baked briefly. Decorated with green olives and thyme. You can make it without anchovies if you add a little soy sauce to the onions.

Cut when it’s cooled. I eat it at room temperature, and in this season that means warm.

Le retour de la tarte polenta

Tarte polenta aux légumes.
It’s a new and more French version of :

la gritzza

Same sunshine crust.

Ratatouille vegetables.

Green chili polenta

Today polenta, and as usual, a variety of season produce.

I cooked the polenta grain. Added minced and salted sweet green chili, small bits of hot chili (red). Pepper, nutmeg. Let chill overnight in a mold. Then put on a dish, paint with olive oil and pass a few minutes under the grill. Pour a little tomato juice around in the dish. Serve hot.

Frozen cotton tofu (momendofu). I froze the whole block in its water. Thawed. Press to push out the water, cut in cubes. As you can see, it has a bread like texture now.

Stir-fried frozen tofu with eringi mushroom, garlic, olive oil.

Na no hana no ohitashi (rape blossoms). They are blanched and refreshed. With tomato juice agar jelly.

Edamame pesto salad. Boiled edamame, onion, yellow pepper, the broken leaves of na no hana. I mixed in a leftover of sesame basil pesto. Let a few hours in the fridge.

Nashi. Japanese pear.

Black vinegar bell peppers on polenta, and garlic tofu dices

The sourness and crispiness of the veggies contrasts with the soft heaviness and sweetness of the polenta…

Yellow and red paprika peppers, and green sweet long chili. With a young onion, I made a stir-fry, flavored with garlic and olive oil.

Soft polenta (microwaved).

I cooked the tofu with the veggies before making the sauce, it’s nicely flavored with garlic. Added dry chili pepper (fried together with the tofu), black pepper, paprika powder and salt on top.