fall is not only my favorite season because i can finally wear my boots and scarves again… i also love that the cool crisp air and bulky sweaters allow me to eat pasta  and stews with reckless abandon! waistline, shmaistline! and when i think about fall pastas, gnocchi is the first one that springs to mind. it slowly shows up on the menus of our favorite restaurants in all its glorious forms, but making it at home can be a bit daunting for the home cook. traditional potato gnocchi, with all of its steps and temperamental ways, can trip up even the most seasoned chef. my ricotta gnocchi recipe is just the thing you need to look like a pro without breaking a sweat.

ricotta gnocchi (makes 4 servings)

1 16-ounce container whole milk ricotta
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tablespoon italian parsley, finely chopped
1 cup flour, you may need a bit more or less

set a strainer lined with a couple layers of cheese cloth over a bowl and strain the ricotta for an hour in the fridge or over-night.
using a wooden spoon, mix the strained ricotta, egg, cheese, salt, nutmeg and parsley in a large bowl. mix in half the flour and slowly add the other half until the dough comes together. it should be sticky but not cling to your fingers. let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. line a large baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. (make sure the baking sheet fits in your freezer)
on a floured cutting board, roll about a fourth of the dough into a thick rope, around 3/4-inch thick.
Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 3/4″ pieces. roll each gnocchi on the back of a fork with your thumb using gentle pressure and transfer them to the baking sheet. repeat with the rest of the dough and then transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. freeze until each gnocchi is individually frozen*. at this point you can put the gnocchi into a freezer bag and cook later (they will keep for about 1 month) or drop them into a large pot of boiling salted water and boil until they float to the the top. strain the gnocchi and add them directly to whatever sauce you plan to use**.

*i have found that freezing the gnocchi first produces a much better little dumpling and they never fall apart.
**i used marinara for my gnocchi, but a simple butter and sage sauce works great too.

1. remove the fava beans from their outer pod. (once this step is done you can put them in a ziplock bag and store them in the fridge until your ready to use them, about 5 days)

2. blanch the beans in boiling water for 1 minute, drain immediately and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking.

3. gently peel away the outer shell to reveal the bright green tender bean. (once this step is done you can use them right away or store them in an airtight container, about 3 days)

at this point, these little beauties are ready to be tossed in a salad and eaten just as they are. or, try adding them to a simple veggie roast or an orzotto (orzo in the style of risotto) like i did for a fabulous side dish or lunch.

for this orzotto, i followed my recipe and added cubes of fresh mozzerella and the favas.

bi bim bop (makes 4 servings)

1 lb short ribs, cut off the bone and marinated in korean bbq sauce for 4 hours or overnight
1 english cucumber, julliened
1 carrot, julliened
1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 handfuls of fancy greens, i used italian parsley
2 cups of white rice, cooked
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup rice vinegar
soy sauce and chili sauce for dipping

mix together salt, sugar and rice vinegar. add the carrot and cucumber and let the veggies pickle while you’re making everything else. grill the short ribs for 4 to 5 minutes on each side and then set aside to rest. toss the shrimp in olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in one layer on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. dress your greens in a little oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
now put everything together over rice in large bowls making sure to drain your pickles and slice your short ribs. serve with soy and chili sauce on the side and a beautiful egg yolk right on top. (you can fry your eggs if you don’t want to serve raw yolks)

this dish is a blank canvas for any cook. you can use any kind of meat or vegetable that you like and by serving the sauces on the side, your guests can personalize their heat level. don’t shy away from pickling your veggies though. it really adds so much flavor and depth to this meal. happy experimenting!

sticky sweet asian short ribs (serves 4)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup brown sugar
the zest and juice of one orange
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 lbs short ribs
water to cover
1 tablespoon fresh scallions, chopped fine
preheat oven to 300 degrees.
in a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the first 9 ingredients. pour over the short ribs in a large dutch oven and add enough water just to cover. cover the pot and simmer in the oven for 3 hours, until the short ribs are tender and separate easily from their bones.
remove the ribs to a plate and discard bones. pour the braising liquid in a fat separator. return the liquid, sans fat, back to the pot and cook over a high flame until it’s reduced to a thick syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes. add the ribs back to the pot to coat in the glaze. sprinkle with the chopped scallions and serve over rice. enjoy!
short ribs can be cooked so many different ways, but this is definitely my family’s favorite. i love that i can stick them in the oven and forget about them for a few hours too. the leftovers make awesome asian tacos… just shred the meat and serve with julienned carrots and napa cabbage in moo shu wraps!

sprinkle cookies (makes 3 dozen)

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
rainbow sprinkles for decorating
in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. add the flour mixture and mix until no flour is visible, don’t over-mix. dump out the dough onto a piece of parchment or wax paper and form into a log. roll up the parchment and freeze the dough for 1 hour.
preheat oven to 325 degrees.
unwrap the dough and slice into round cookies about 1/8 of an inch thick. press each cookie into sprinkles and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. bake on the very top rack of your oven for 8-11 minutes until the bottoms are very lightly browned. cool on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a rack to continue cooling. store in an airtight container for up to a week.

best yellow cake ever! (lemon variation)

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
variation: the zest and juice of 1 lemon and lemon curd for layers
(i make my own lemon curd but there are wonderful lemon curds available in stores so you can save yourself a step)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
butter and flour 2 -9″ or 3- 8”cake pans. In a bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. in another bowl whisk together oil, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla until the sugar is dissolved, around 2 minutes. Add the eggs and whisk until well incorporated. add the lemon juice and zest and whisk until blended. add the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. pour batter (batter is very thin so don’t worry) into prepared pans and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and continue to cool completely.
my buttercream/cream cheese frosting

1 stick of butter, softened
1- 8oz package of cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
variation: yellow food coloring to make it a light pastel yellow

add all ingredients to the bowl of an electric mixture and mix on med-high until light and fluffy, around 5 mintues.

spread lemon curd between each cake layer and refrigerate until nice and firm. frost the cake with the buttercream/cream cheese frosting and refrigerate again until firmly set, around 1 hour. (i place 3 wooden skewers in the center of the cake to keep the layers from sliding while the frosting sets. i also sprinkle the top of the cake with decorating sugar for a little sparkle.)

Skinny creamed spinach (makes 2 servings)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chicken demi-glace or liquid bullion (this will also act as the salt for this recipe)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh if you can)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
2 tablespoons lite mascarpone or cream cheese

in a large saute pan over medium heat, saute the onion in olive oil until soft and translucent. add the garlic and demi-glace and saute for another minute. add the spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted and all the liquid has been reduced, about 5 minutes. add the nutmeg, pepper and mascarpone and cook until the mascarpone has melted and the spinach is nice and creamy. plate and enjoy!

this spinach dish makes an excellent side for steak, chicken or fish, but you can also use it as a topping for pizza or tossed in your favorite pasta! super quick and good for you, the possibilities are endless. eat your greens!

Arroz con pollo (makes 2 servings)

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 pieces of dark meat chicken, legs and/or thighs with the skin on
Salt and pepper
1 small Spanish onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 teaspoons turmeric
Healthy Pinch of saffron threads
1 cup rice (short grain white rice, arborio, or carnaroli all work well)
2 cups chicken stock

Wash and dry all your chicken pieces and season them well with salt and pepper. In a large non-stick skillet heat the olive oil and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and in the same skillet over medium heat sauté the onions until softened, around five minutes. Add the peppers, garlic, salt & pepper (to taste) and turmeric and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the rice and make sure to get it all coated with the olive oil and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the saffron to the chicken stock and then pour the stock over the rice and vegetables. Add the chicken back to the skillet and bring everything up to a gentle bubble. Turn the heat down to medium low and cover your skillet with foil or a tight fitting lid. Simmer the rice and chicken for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve!

You can have this dinner on the table in about 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for a weeknight and you only have to wash one pan! I think it tastes even better the next day so I always save a little for lunch. This recipe is super easy to double or triple and fairly inexpensive so go ahead and throw that weeknight dinner party! I hope the sun has found you as well!

I set aside an hour while little Oscar was deep into art projects to chop, dice, mince and slice every last vegetable in my refrigerator. I realize this sounds a tad extreme but it really worked! With most of the “heavy lifting” already done, dinners this week have been a breeze. One of my family’s favorites is arroz con pollo (spanish for chicken with rice) and with all my peppers, onions, garlic and herbs all chopped up for me, putting it all together was a snap! I’ll share that recipe with you later in the week.
Take a lesson from my attack of OCD this week and dice yourself up some inspiration. The culinary artist inside you is dying to get out!

chocolate orange angel food cake with orange glaze

1 1/2 cups egg whites, room temperature (about 10 eggs)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
the zest of one orange
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped fine

for the glaze:
juice from two oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
(whisk together and set aside)

preheat oven to 325 degrees.
in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on high until soft peaks form. with the mixer still running, slowly add the sugar, and then the orange juice, orange zest, vanilla and salt and continue beating until stiff peaks form. off the mixer, sift the flour right over the stiff egg white mixture and gently fold in with a spatula. add the chopped chocolate and gently fold in. pour into an ungreased tube pan and bake for around 40 minutes.
turn the pan upside down on a rack and let the cake cool completely. run a knife along the sides of the pan and remove the cake. put on a plate and pour the glaze over the cooled cake. let the glaze dry a bit and then serve.

i’m starting to feel a little sunnier already. this light and airy cake is the perfect ending to any winter meal. the bits of chocolate and orange take boring old angel food in a much more exciting direction in my opinion. happy baking everyone!