Since I started my day with the most wonderful church service at Bering Church here in Houston, I decided to let my heart lead today. After recording my thoughts after service today, I naturally expressed my idea to see about making gnocchi with this church community around the holidays. I will have to certainly blog about that in the future. The service was about being thankful for the small, important things.
I had to use the title, "Magic Gnocchi," because it has so many magical significances in my life that I am grateful for. If you are not much of a food person, I am afraid you might find that a bit cuckoo. That's okay. But yes, food is that powerful. It really is the great unifier! And food can transport you, inspire you, connect you to others, spark creativity and happiness and more....
Where the magic of gnocchi began for me.....
I was born in December of 1971. Friends and neighbors tease us about how my mom fed my brothers and I sauce and chili from birth. (message here: I don't remember ever not loving and eating gnocchi! :) ) Even though my mom is Yugoslavian, she married my Italian daddy when they were teens. Nana taught mom how to cook Italian food. I thought both of my parents were Italian for a very long time. One day, I came home and asked my dad what is a "bohunk?" He asked me why and I said Mr. Deluca said hi to me at the Short Stop by saying, "Hey little bohunk!" He usually calls me "little dago." My dad told me that bohunk refers to my mom's side which is Yugoslavian. Ohhhhhhh. Either way, I loved Ben Deluca and both were terms of endearment. (I will surely share some dishes that are inspired by the most incredible woman who ever lived, my grandma, Lillian Shebly, in the near future. This will be representative of my Yugoslavian roots.)
My first memory of gnocchi was watching my Nana, my auntie, my mom, my godmother, and my mom's best friend, Sharon Slettvedt make them every holiday season. Nana made them with such immaculate ease. She had such delicate, beautiful hands. Those hands were bar none her most essential cooking tool. She would literally smack anyone who showed any sign of poor hygiene around her - especially in the kitchen!! Nana was like getting your car towed in that respect! I have only had my car towed ONCE in my life and I never made that pain in the ass and wallet mistake again. I got smacked by Nana ONCE. Never again! And to this day, I am particular about cleanliness - cleaning is my therapy, really. Watching her make the gnocchi was magic. I was mesmerized by how easy she made it look. When she would boil them, and marry them with her sauce, mmmmmmm, I can experience every sense of that even to this day if I close my eyes!!
It wasn't just the taste of her flawless food. Nana's gnocchi and gnocchi that was made around me by so many strong women in my life, taught me the value of sharing meals together. With this food memory, I am reminded of simpler days where the labor of love in the kitchen was all about feeding the souls of family and friends year after year. Gnocchi was a magic one because it appeared during the holiday season only. And the where and when of my childhood meant years of the warmest Christmases filled with love, family, friends, God, snow, caroling, nursing home visits, food.... I am so thankful.
For many years, we went to Nashwauk, MN every Sunday for Nana's sauce. We piled in the wooden paneled station wagon and sang, "Nashwauk, Nashwauk here we come! Right back where we started from!" It was only a 40 mile drive from Buhl, but it is the town both of my parents grew up in. To this day, when I make gnocchi, I can feel the warmth of my Nanu's hug outside by his garden while we wait to eat. It is no wonder that my dad & brothers are such heartfelt men. My Nanu was the safest lap in the whole, wide world. That's some magic gnocchi! oxoxo
Magic Classes....
When I first started doing, "Recipe Days with Ms. Saccoman" with my students, I had to choose ideas that did not require a kitchen because I conducted them in our classroom. We did deviled eggs a lot because I would boil the eggs the night before. We have done pin wheels - you know the tortilla wraps with cream cheese and veggies? We have done puppy chow for a winter treat. Lots of recipes that only needed a microwave. Then I graduated to a burner and eventually, had access to a school kitchen.
Once the kitchen was clean and ready at my most recent school, I had the idea to try doing gnocchi with the kids. This started about five years ago. I was in my building for 3-4 years before I discovered an unused kitchen. Or maybe I knew it was there, but it was like where dead things were. gulp Anywayyyyyy, I would make gnocchi dough the night before. We even pulled this off in the classroom before I started in the kitchen. True to Nana, our classroom was very clean! On Recipe Days we doubled down! Well, being able to share this special dish with my kids was so much fun! It sparked a world of magic every time we made gnocchi over the years!
*The kids would share special dishes from their families.
*They'd visit with each other while their hands were busy with the dough.
*They'd push themselves to do the thumb roll and press as swiftly and nicely as their teacher.
*They would marvel at the ingredients and how simple they were - both the gnocchi dough and the quick red sauce we would put together with all fresh ingredients.
*They would eat together - able to experience the full spectrum of their learning for the day that ended with delicious, meat free food for their tummies.
*They would create new ideas for sauces they might try with gnocchi through writing and imagining.
*They measured and some fell in love with a craft that they didn't realize they loved and you could see it happen before your eyes!! Magic!!
Look at these beautiful gnocchi made by one of my students, Brian! That smile!!
This was in our classroom in like 2017?
It was so exciting when I received a bag of aprons!! Look at my kids!! These photos make me so happy. Whew, if you have ever been a teacher or worked in a school, it seems to be growing harder and harder. We are competing with a very fast-paced, media forward society after a global pandemic. And if you have ever taught in our highest poverty communities, with that comes more challenges that not all are equipped to embrace. I remember so many of my students over my 28 year career. These kiddos here did not always make my life easy, but God did I love them! I did MANY recipe days this school year because of the MAGIC!!! (We just had to boil these gnocchi a bit longer - lol. I wonder if any of my students ever became a chef?)
My Dreams & Gnocchi....
The first time gnocchi joined me on my dream was when I drove from Minneapolis to Chicago in 2014 with my mini crockpot of homemade sauce and meatballs and a container of my homemade, precooked, cooled gnocchi. And, of course, all of the extra's like herbs, parmesan reggiano, kitchen tools, etc. I checked into a hotel, had a good night's sleep, warmed my sauce while I got ready and headed to downtown Chicago for what would turn out to be an all day audition for Master Chef.
The note I left my 5th graders that day I took a personal day to go audition for Master Chef in Chicago.
I wore my Statue of David apron that day because I love it and it's art! I was the only one who plugged in my crockpot while we waited for the first round which was plating and tasting! Thousands went through that round throughout the day and thousands did not make it past that round. While I waited for my turn, it was so much fun to meet some previous contestants and hear about their time on Master Chef.
I remember it very well. There were about 15-20 of us in the plating/tasting round 1. They had 'personality' interviewers and chef taste testers. They gave us 3 minutes to plate our dish. I only needed 1 minute. I remember getting a bit wide-eyed because the chap next to me was using tweezers to place his parsley just so. No hate. I am just more, shall we say, rustic. :). It was so much fun and they loved the gnocchi!! Four of us moved on to the next round where we were asked several culinary questions on camera. That was also a blast!! Anyway, I made it through to the end that day and I was so convinced I was going to be picked! I even got stopped by Wisconsin police on the way home for speeding and when he came up to my car, I couldn't help but look so happy and excited (mixed with apologetic.) Lol. He was nice enough to let me off after I told him I was going to be on Master Chef!
Well, I didn't get the chance, but I never gave up. After all, I tell my students to persevere and shoot for their dreams no matter how many no's they get or fails they make. What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't do the same thing? I think it would be so sweet to learn from Gordon Ramsey! I respond well to direct, in-your-face guidance and I kind of have a thing for breaking through rough edges with people so I think in no time Chef Ramsey and I would share a smooch. I auditioned many times for all kinds of cooking platforms, but this was one of my most memorable. Everyone in the room tried the gnocchi and it made my soul so happy!!!
That magic!
The next dream where gnocchi appeared was with The Great MN Recipe. Please check out my blog about that wonderful adventure last year if you haven't already.
Here is the episode if you would like to make some gnocchi this fall/winter. oxoxo
My brother gave me my favorite tool for gnocchi cutting..... I felt my Nana with me that day!
The Great Minnesota Recipe gnocchi - this offering meant so much to me I cannot even explain.
I am certain that anyone who is just madly in love with cooking will tell you that it truly is a love language. I inherited this gift from strong women before me. It makes me so happy to feed people my food. Without the mouths & tummies of others, I am afraid cooking would not be quite so fulfilling. Here, Sharon and I are serving my mom, my brother, and my auntie Marlene! My friends and family were able to try my gnocchi, red sauce and meatballs and my homemade stuffed pepper soup that day. You can be sure that this whole experience felt exactly what I imagine "Magic" to feel like. I got to cook dishes that are so meaningful to me for two days and then share them with some of the most cherished people of my childhood. All on local t.v. so that others could join the joy and see how special Buhl is. It was a gift I will always be thankful for.
Accepting All Gnocchi.....
Okay, first up, the original gnocchi dish that I grew up on was my dear Nana's gnocchi. My auntie, my mom, my Godmother.... everyone I ate gnocchi with was how gnocchi should be. Gnocchi that was a touch firm, not pillowy, soft at all. Handmade with potato, sometimes frozen, boiled, strained and always served with red sauce. Yum. But I was wrong about it being 'how gnocchi should be.' I think I hear my Nana saying right now, "you are not wrong at all Susie!" My brother Tony would agree with Nana. Well, this style of gnocchi will always be my first love. I am so thankful that Nana passed down her style to others in our family because whenever I eat gnocchi at my brother Tony's for Christmas, it tastes JUST LIKE Nana's! Mmmmmm!!
My dad, who interestingly enough prefers rigatoni over gnocchi all day, and my Nana & Nanu in the late 70s.
Here's a nod to you, dad. Omit the hot peppers for dad!! Oh my gosh this is like the perfect plate here too!! Al dente rigatoni all the way!!
Me and Tony! I have shared this picture before. I like it. Check out his gnocchi (next pic)...
Mouthwatering right!? A beautiful Christmas pic many years after Nana and Nanu passed. Yet the traditions live on! I know we all have those dishes, yes? My hope and prayer would be to give food memories to anyone who didn't have them. Tony makes those fancy ridges on his gnocchi. Ravioli is always on our Christmas menu too. And my sister in law makes delicious sauce with all garden vegetables. Not to mention the best baked treats ever!
Okay, next up, making gnocchi with other root vegetables...... I decided to try making gnocchi with beets during Covid. All I can say is, "meh", to this try, however, I love the process of trial and error. I decided to boil these, then sear them on the stovetop with olive oil, butter and herbs. I have also tried using butternut squash and those tasted delicious too. I still used some potato and some ricotta when I made these root vegetable gnocchi. They absolutely do not go with red sauce, so exploring other sauces was fun. I used pine nuts, goat cheese, crushed pepper - any flavors that I love with autumn ingredients. My Godmother, Tona, snubbed this photo when I showed her and I am pretty sure that was kind because my Nana would have smacked me. (There are a few Trader Joe ingredients in the background - I am obsessed with bomba sauce!! It is crushed calabrian peppers - drool!)
Last up - Lars' Way - I think he would get the majority vote because Lars is actually offended when recipes are not presented classically. He does not care for red sauce and thinks Saccoman gnocchi are too firm. (insert stake through soul) He is a stickler for 'by the book.' Once I branched out into the world, I was introduced to the pillowy, soft gnocchi served mostly with a white sauce. The first time I had this style of gnocchi was when I was in a two year-run play downtown Minneapolis called, Gianni Sent Me from 99 - 01. Nick Bongiovani, rest his soul and Gianni's and Mary's, was a beloved, Italian chef in Minneapolis. The concept of this interactive dinner theater came from the non-fiction, gangster life background of Gianni Fragali. Nick Bongiovani was real deal. Every bite of his food was mind blowing to me. Then, I tried his gnocchi. This is gnocchi, Nick? I asked. Want me to smack you, what the hell you think that is? It was by FAR the most popular dish at every, single show. Very, very, very soft. Like melt in your mouth. And they were bathed in cream sauce. I should have a picture, but I don't. However, this is the style of gnocchi I began seeing more and more throughout the city, throughout my travels. Soft, pillowy, in a cream sauce. I loved Nick's food, but this kind of gnocchi was not for me at first. I had to grow to appreciate it. Then I made one of my own for Lars.
Can't get more classic than peas and pancetta. I added the Swiss chard because I love it. Lars loved it. I continued to appreciate it and accept it as a part of the gnocchi family.
"Gianni Sent Me" 99-2001 - written by Mary Hirsch and Gianni Fragali - It was one of the best times of my life and we were so lucky to be fed by Nick and the kitchen crew every day. From left: THE Cornbread Harris who I love with all of my heart & soul; Dave H., Lisa S., Jim, Emily, Paulie, Monty, Me..... I will always carry a bit of "Naomi" and the rest of my cast mates with me...
Many from this run are no longer here - R.I.P dear friends. oxoxo Fragali
I almost forgot! If you read my very, very first blog under "Restaurant Gems", I shared my MOST MEMORABLE NYC spot called M. Wells. This was like 2010!! My eyes immediately go to "Gnocchi" when it is written in a menu. Well, this gnocchi was called "Foi gras Gnocchi." The first and only time I have had foi gras was this gnocchi! Two gnocchi!!! Needless to say, I was really coming around to the idea of accepting all gnocchi!! Even embracing all gnocchi!! Thinking of ways to try even new ideas. This was just sublime! Unctuous, livery, umami.... (Yes, the stilton wedge was fucking amazing too!!!!!!!!!!! Gawsh!!!! I can't even!)
Pretty extraordinary what food can do! As I close out this perfect Sunday, I think back to the service this morning at church. Being thankful for the small, important things in our lives. I am very grateful for the stories of love and happiness that are wrapped inside this one, special dish out of so, so many.
"At tableforsue, everyone is welcome. At tableforsue everyone is seen."
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