SC - Beef Barley Stew

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Angeline asked:
> I just watched Ciao Italia and one of the topics was gnocchis.  Sometimes
> they are made with potatoes and sometimes with ricotta cheese and sometimes
> with rice and sometimes with bread.
> 
> Does anyone know of a period recipe for gnocchis and where would I find it?

We have talked about gnocchi before. I'm still not sure how to categorize
or describe what gnocchi is and what it is not, so there is no file in
the Florilegium specifically on gnocchi.  The following message
might be of interest to you though.	
- -- 
THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas         stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****

> Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 12:19:50 -0800
> From: lilinah at earthlink.net
> Subject: RE: SC - Homemade period noodles/pasta
> 
> OK, here's the recipe...
> 
> The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy
> Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban & Silvano Serventi
> translated by Edward Schneider
> 
> Chapter: Soups and Pasta: Potages
> Recipe 9. Cheese Gnocchi
> p. 63-64
> 
> If you want some gnocchi, take some fresh cheese and mash it, then 
> take some flour and mix with egg yolks as in the making migliacci. 
> Put a pot full of water on the fire and, when it begins to boil, put 
> the mixture on a dish and drop it into the pot with a ladle. And when 
> they are cooked, place them on dishes and sprinkle with plenty of 
> grated cheese. (from Grammento di un libro di cucina del sec. XIV)
> 
> Modern Recipe
> 12 servings
> 1-1/4 lb. cream cheese (600 g.)
> 1-1/2 cups flour (200 g.)
> 6 egg yolks
> 6 to 8 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
> salt
> 
> Mash the cream cheese into a creamy paste; if it is too stiff, force 
> it through a sieve. With your hand, mix in the flour. Add salt to 
> taste and blend in the egg yolks, one by one. Continue kneading to 
> form a smooth mixture, neither too firm nor too soft.
> 
> Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and lower the heat to a 
> simmer. Put the cheese mixture on a plate and drop half-teaspoonfuls 
> of the mixture into the simmering water. It is quicker for two people 
> to do this simultaneously.
> 
> Cook for a few minutes, until the gnocchi rise to the surface of the 
> water. Drain and turn into a heated serving dish. Sprinkle generously 
> with grated parmesan and serve immediately.
> 
> - ---------------
> My Comments
> i seriously doubt the original used "cream cheese". The women's 
> magazine version used cottage cheese and i have used ricotta. I 
> suspect Farmer Cheese or Pot Cheese might also work, but they're a 
> bit dry and might need moistening with some cream. I had some Queso 
> de Burgos in Spain, a kind of spongey fresh white cheese rather like 
> uncut curds, and it sure seemed like it would be suitable. The French 
> "Fromage Frais" is rather like sour cream and, i think, unsuitable. 
> So you have to weight the virtues of various "fresh cheeses". Maybe a 
> Mexican Queso Fresco would also work...
> 
> Anahita al-shazhiyya