Arrowheads of blue corn gnocchi with guajillo chile sauce

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 mediums Russet potatoes
8 quarts Water
5 ounces Soft white goat cheese (appx
1/2 cup)
3 ounces Dried red guajillo chiles
(about 15 chiles, or 2 1/4 cuups)
½ cup Dried pumpkin seeds
4 Eggs
1½ cup All purpose flour
1½ cup Blue cornmeal
2 tablespoons Salt
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon White pepper
5½ cup Water

Directions

BLUE CORN GNOCCHI

GUAJILLO CHILE SAUCE

To make the gnocchi, peel and boil the potatoes in 2 quarts water until soft and cooked through.

In a food processor, combine the potatoes and goat cheese and process until lump free, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and process another minute. The mixture should resemble putty.

Stir the flour and blue cornmeal toghether. Pour the potato mixture into a bowl and add 2 cups of the flour-cornmeal mixture. Mix together thoroughly to form the dough.

Dust a wooden cuttingboard with half the remaining flour-cornmeal mixture and place the dough on top. Flatten it and sprinkle it with the remaining flour and cornmeal. Knead the flour and cornmeal into the dough until it becomes stiff. The dough is ready when it no longer clings to the board. If the mixture is still soft, damp and sticky, add a little more flour.

With your hands, shape the dough on a board into a long rooll 2 inches in diameter. With a knife cut the dough into slices 1 inch thick. Flour another board and roll each 1 inch piece into a thin strip about ½ inch wide and 16 inches long. Flatten the stips, with your hands to about 1 inch wide, and cut the dough with a knife into arrowheads, or any other shape you desire. Set aside.

To make the Guajillo Chile Sauce, put the chiles, pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper in a food processor and process for 1 minute. Add the water, in small amounts, until completely blended, about 4 minutes.

Press the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the pulp.

In a saucepan, heat the chile mixture over medium-high heat 4 minutes, until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes, until thickened.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the gnocchi. In a large pot, bring the 6 quarts water to a boil with the salt. Add the gnocchi and cook 2 to 3 minutes, gently stirring frequently so they don't stick. At first the gnocchi will sink to the bottom; as they cook, they will begin to hold their shape and float to the surface.

Once the gnocchi have risen to the top, remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon.

Spoon ½ cup sauce on each plate, top with the gnocchi and serve immediately. **************

In this dish, I have used blue cornmeal, a basic ingredient in Native American southwest cooking, to make gnocchi, a classic Italian potato dumpling. The cornmeal makes the dough thicker and more pliable, which makes cutting the dumplings into interesting shapes for presentation very easy.

*** NOTE *** At higher altitudes, gnocchi can take longer to cook.

Test before serving.

From "Native American Cooking," by Lois Ellen Frank Submitted By HILDE MOTT On 10-31-94

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