Mom, Gnocchi

​Tell everyone my Mother made the best homemade Gnocchi’s.
I remember on those special Sunday mornings as a child leaving my bedroom after a great night’s sleep entering into the kitchen and seeing the table full of flour, eggs and the potatoes boiling on the stove.  It was fun watching my Mother working diligently rolling out the dough like little snakes then cutting them into ¾ inch pieces. She said ½ inch pieces were to small and 1 inch were too large. I asked her once why the Gnocchi’s would disappear quickly in my mouth. She said one of her secrets was to whip the eggs first before kneading them into the potatoes and flour.Another secret I found out was Mom used different potatoes.  She combined Russert’s for the starch and Yukon Gold for the nutty flavor.
She took this pretty seriously.
On the other side of the stove was Mom’s red sauce made with the canned tomatoes my Father had made her earlier in the year. Of course, the tomatoes came from our garden. I remember those days like yesterday when Dad would say to me “got nothing to do, go weed the garden”. Every time Dad got me in his sights I always tried to show him I was busy doing something. 
Boy we loved Mom’s sauce. She used all fresh ingredients, tomatoes, onions, a carrot or two, garlic, oregano, parsley and OH, those meatballs.
If we didn’t grow it my parents went to the Trenton Farmers Market on Spruce Street to get it. Barbara you know exactly where it is! In those days we did even know how good we were eating. There were no words used in my house as organic or sustainable because everything we ate was clean and fresh. Just for the record, I drank water from the garden hose.
Cyndie promised me she would try to make Mom’s Gnocchi’s for Mother’s Day. I am sure they will come out great.
I am going to pair this traditional dish with a wonderful Podere Brizio Brunello Di Montalcino 2012. This higher rated wine hits all the positive palate notes. After two weeks of natural fermentation in stainless steel the wine is transferred to untoasted French oak casks where it sits comfortably for 38 months. Minimum bottle aging is 7 months. The nose gives off a bouquet of intense ripe red fruit, black pepper and cloves. The wine is elegant yet unyielding in flavor of wild berry, red cherry, licorice and orange zest. This wine is perfectly balanced and a great pairing with Mom’s Dish.
Mom, thanks for all those great memories. We truly miss you!
A special cheer; to all the great Mothers who bring us so much joy in our lives.
Happy Mother’s day,
Glenn

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