Comments on: TGRWT #21: Gnocchi with peanuts and sage

By: Fishgirl

Fishgirl — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:31:38 +0000

I often make a sage-brown butter sauce for my gnocchi or ravioli. I tried the peanuts in the gnocchi last night. I toasted raw Spanish peanuts to a smoky brown (strong) and then sauteed the sage in browned butter. The dark peanut was not overwhelming, and we agreed they were my best gnocchi yet. I wonder if browning the butter and sauteeing the sage altered the volatiles?

By: Claudia

Claudia — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:14:00 +0000

What an excellent use of the two components together. Now I want to try your gnocchi. Great photos as well.

By: AJH

AJH — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:08:06 +0000

Right, I just use the yolks. The water in the whites would need more flour to balance out the extra moisture, and both the whites and flour would just dilute the flavor.

By: Martin Lersch

Martin Lersch — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:18:56 +0000

Lars: An interesting comment there about “rewiring” of the brain. I wonder if this could be studied with fMRI (= funtional magnetic resonance imaging)?

By recording images of the brain when eating

1) bananas alone,
2) cloves alone,
3) bananas and cloves together,
4) bananas alone,

and then comparing the images of 1) and 4) to se whether 4) has become more similar (or connected) to 2) after having eaten bananas and cloves together. (the experiment could of course be repeated for other food pairs)

If any of you have in depth knowledge of fMRI used in sensory science – do you think this could be a viable way of studying how certain pairings can change the perception of food, even when eaten alone?

By: Lars Kiilerich

Lars Kiilerich — Wed, 19 May 2010 06:58:52 +0000

This looks like a nice recipe, and I’m exited to learn the sage and peanuts blend so well. It can be a nuisance though.

Since the old TGRWT with banana and cloves, almost every time I eat a banana it has a taste of cloves also. I really dislike cloves, but aparently my mind has been wired this way now.

I think I will go buy some sage to play in this round.

By: Martin Lersch

Martin Lersch — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:24:45 +0000

AJH: Will try that! But do you recommend to only use egg yolks, not the whites?

Enrico: You’re right! I’ve fixed it now

By: Enrico Zini

Enrico Zini — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:27:27 +0000

Although it’s not hard to infer, it looks like you forgot to mention, in your recipe, to add the peanuts to the gnocchi dough

By: AJH

AJH — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:30:29 +0000

One trick I’ve learned through making hundreds of batches of gnocchi is that by adding not just one egg to the amount of potato you’re using, but rather 3-4 egg yolks, and adding them while your potatoes are hot, they cook slightly, helping to firm your dough, reduce the need for flour, and make your gnocchi lighter. But I want to try your flavor combo with them now!

By: nika

nika — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:57:56 +0000

Goodness, that is a triumph, it looks and sounds so delicious!