Another recent recipe we made was potato gnocchi (Dad—you’re forbidden from trying this recipe. Just trying to protect Mom and Kaia) with the students. Our professor has a great, easy recipe, so if you’re motivated, try it out. We made our own special Taleggio cream sauce to go with, which was pretty tasty. Definitely enough calories for a couple days!

Potato Gnocchi

10-15 big potatoes
½ kg flour (type O)
fine salt
1 egg (if needed)

After having boiled and peeled the potatoes (the potatoes must be put on the cooker with cold water), mash them; if they are too mushy, add an egg. Place the mixed flour on a wooden board, add the potato mixture and make a dough. The dough must NOT be sticky. Roll the dough into a sausage-like form, as thin or thick as you prefer. Cut the gnocchi with a knife very quickly, without handling them too much. Sprinkle with flour.

To maintain them: the gnocchi can be cooked straight away in boiling salty water. When you take them out of the water (as SOON as they float to the top), transfer them into a big enough container and pour some olive oil on them; they can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Taleggio cheese cream sauce

Taleggio cheese (in Tucson, this can be found at Roma Imports…I haven’t looked for it elsewhere)
Bresciamella/cooking cream
butter

Cut the Taleggio—which has a nice, creamy texture and a subtle flavor similar, I suppose, to blue cheese or gorgonzola—into chunks for easier melting. Melt butter, cream and cheese together, stirring frequently. Serve immediately for best taste/texture—that type of sauce likes to form layers of skin if left too long. Add to gnocchi (or other pasta) and enjoy!