Gnocchi Dumpling wih Radicchio

This is another Italian recipe for dumpling that we usually called in Italy Gnocchi. This type of dumplings are made with potatoes but their flavor is enriched by the addition of chestnut flour. The peculiarity of this Italian dumpling is the dressing made with Radicchio, Speck and a cheese like, Asiago cheese, if you like a sweet taste or Bitto cheese, if you like a more strong taste. The Italian cheese that I prefer to use in the dressing of this dumpling is Asiago cheese because its sweet taste makes a contrast with the a little bit bitter taste of Radicchio. The preparation of the dressing is easy you have just to cook the Radicchio, add the speck and then the cheese. Let the cheese melt but not dry it too much otherwise the sauce it will be not enough creamy for dumplings.


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
1kg or 4 cups of Potatoes
150 g or 1+1/4 of cup of Flour
150 g or 1+1/4 of cup Chestnut Flour
1 or 2 Eggs
100 g of Speck
100 g of Cheese
300 g of Radicchio


PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Oltrepo Pavese (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start cooking the potatoes without peeling them, boiled them in no salted water until they are cooked more or less 20 minutes since the water boils; in order to be faster you can use the steamer cooker, in this case you will need only 10-12 minutes. When the potatoes are ready, let them cool a bit, peel them,



mash them and put them on a table.



Then add to the mashed potatoes the flour, the chestnut flour, the eggs and salt.



Mix all together and work until you will obtain a homogeneous dough.



Now divide the dough in parts and roll each one in order to obtain a sort of longs sausages thick as a finger. Pay attention to have always enough flour on the worktable in order to not attach the dough to it. Cut each long sausage in small pieces of 1 cm length. When you have all the pieces, you have to give them the shape of gnocchi: to do this, take a fork. Hold the fork with one hand and lean it to the work board, with the other hand take a piece of dough and with the index finger press rolling it on the fork: in this way you obtain gnocchi.



Sprinkle the gnocchi with flour and place them on a tray.



In the mean time let the salted water boil for gnocchi and start preparing the seasoning for gnocchi. Clean, wash the radicchio and cut it in stripes. Cut the speck in cubes or stripes and cut the cheese in cubes.



When everything is ready preheat the extra Virgin olive oil in a large pan, add the radicchio and cook it for about 10-15 minutes.



At this point add the speck and let it cook for 5-8 minutes.



At the end add the cheese and let it melt,



pay attention to not dry too much the sauce that comes from the cheese.




When the salted water boils add the gnocchi and when they rise to the surface, drain them.



Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce. Serve them and if you like sprinkle with Parmesan.



BUON APPETITO!

Risotto with Radicchio and Taleggio

This risotto is a typical Italian recipe of the winter period. It is made of Taleggio and Radicchio. Taleggio is an Italian kind of soft fatty cheese typical of Lombardia in particular of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lodi, Milan, Pavia, Treviso and Novara. Radicchio is a red intense kind of salad typical of the geographic area between Treviso and Venezia. With this recipe I'll show you how to prepare a simple and delicious main course with this two ingredients!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)

320 g of Rice

2 Vegetable stocks-cube

1/2 of Onion

150 g of Taleggio

200 g of Radicchio

1 Glass of Red wine

3-4 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil

10 g of Butter

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

WINE: Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Nero (Red Wine)

PREPARATION

Prepare broth with water and 2 stocks-cube vegetable in a pot. Take the skin of 1/2 onion off and chop it. Heat the extra virgin olive oil with the butter in a pan, then put in it the onion and let it brown.

In the meantime clean, wash and dry the radicchio and cut it into pieces. Then add the radicchio in the pan and wait until it wilts.

Now add the rice and make it roast.

Then add the wine and let it evaporate. Start to add 1 ladle of hot broth and stir until it is absorbed, continue in this way, adding ladles of hot broth, for about 15-18 minutes.

When the rice is ready add the pieces of taleggio and stir in order to melt them.

At the end of the cooking the rice must be slightly firm to the teeth. Serve hot and if you desire you can sprinkle with some parmesan. This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!