Now, having lived in South Florida for many years and meeting many people from Spanish speaking countries, I figured it would be a pretty easy on my part. Of all the countries that speak Spanish, my darling daughter picked Uruguay!! I have never met anyone from Uruguay. I happened to know where it was on a map but that was only because we had some neighbors from Argentina. Actually, that turned out to be my blessing in disguise! Our Argentinian neighbors ate a LOT of Italian food when they weren't eating beef. In particular, they ate Gnocchi more often than not. Sometimes they ate it as a side dish and some times as an entree but I remember this neighbor making her Gnocchi from scratch at least once a week.
As it turns out, Uruguay is a lot like the U.S. in that it is a democracy, they have separation of church and state and they have a whole lot of immigrants from Europe that have influenced their cuisine. Actually, they eat very little of what anyone would call Latin food, but they eat a lot of things we're all familiar with (good to know you won't find it all weird if you ever go there!) The biggest influence on their cuisine were the Italians spilling over from Argentina and Brazil. As we found out, there isn't hardly an Italian dish that they don't eat.
Of all the pastas, Gnocchi has a special place in the hearts of Uruguayan nationals. It was traditionally eaten on the 29th of each month, just before payday, when most folks were at their poorest. Basically it is just boiled, mashed potatoes mixed with flour and an egg to form a dough. Then the dough is made into little pillows and boiled. They can be served topped with just about anything or any sauce. We did discover though that they have a National Sauce! Turns out that the great Italian Tenor, Enrico Caruso was scheduled to appear in concert in Uruguay. A couple of restauranteurs, who were to be serving him after the concert, wanted to make a special dish just to impress the opera singer. As the story goes, Caruso was so impressed with the dish, that he asked for it wherever he went, not realizing that it was only made that one time, in that restaurant, just for him. Caruso Sauce was born and has been adopted as the "Salsa Nacionale". Ironically, no one ever standardized the sauce so a google search will reveal many variations, many of which include chicken livers (not a good choice for a school project) but almost all include cream, onions and some type of meat. So here, we give you the one we selected; Gnoqui con Salsa Caruso. Enjoy!
Gnocchi en Italien pero Gnoqui en Espanol de Uruguay!
OK, right here let me say that although it is EASY to make Gnocchi, you can buy them in the store and have dinner in 15 minutes. If you're like me, well then, read on because we are about to make short-cut Gnocchi!
Gnocchi
2c. Instant mashed potato flakes
1 1/2c. very hot water
1/2c. milk
1 1/2c. all purpose flour + a little extra
1 egg yolk
2 generous T. parmesan cheese
Caruso Sauce
5T. butter
1/4c. flour
4c. milk
1/2t. nutmeg
1/2t. cinnamon
1c. toasted walnut pieces
1c. cooked ham, small dice (I used cubed ham and diced it small)
2T. Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Boil a good-sized pot of water on the stove and make sure to salt it well. Pour the hot water in a bowl. Quickly add the mashed potato flakes and the milk. Sir with a fork to bring together to a dry nearly lumpy mess of mash. Add the egg yolk and the cheese. Use the fork to incorporate it well. Start working the flour into the mash 1/2c. at a time. After approximately 1 c. you will need to add the last 1/2c. and work it in with your hands. You should have a soft, damp dough; but not wet or sticky. Break off a fist-sized piece of dough and roll it into a 1/2" thick log on a clean, floured surface. Cut the log into 1/2" pillows, they will be almost square. Quickly roll each one into a more round shape. Take the fork you used to mix the mash and turn it over. Roll each piece over the back of the fork, pressing gently, and dropping it into the boiling water. Boil for approximately 2 minutes and remove from water with a slotted spoon, placing in a colander. This part is tricky. All the gnocchi should be floating but if they boil too long they will be mushy and fall apart. As you reach for the next hunk of dough, you will notice it is now sticky. Add a little more flour and then roll into a log and repeat the process. Do this each time you grab a hunk of dough. The whole process moves very quickly and you should have a pile of gnocchi in your colander in about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Let the gnocchi rest in the colander while you make the sauce. It is okay if they sit in a cold sticky pile. Trust me it is all going to work!
Toast the walnut pieces in the sauce pan for a few moments until they begin to toast and are fragrant. Do not BURN! Put them on the side. Melt 2T. butter in sauce pan and sautee onions for a few minutes until wilted and soft. Add the additional 3T. butter to pan. When melted, remove from heat and sprinkle 1/4c. flour over the butter. Mix together with wooden spoon and return to medium/medium-lo heat. Cook for about a minute until the roux becomes golden. Start adding the milk in small amounts stirring or whisking continuously until the sauce is smooth, thickened and all the milk has been incorporated. Do not let the burner get too hot. Cook over medium/medium-lo heat. Be patient! Add the spices,cheese, walnuts and ham. Mix together. Taste sauce and correct seasoning with spices or salt and pepper if necessary. Now add the gnocchi and stir to coat. Serve hot.
HELP! My sauce isn't thick!!!! Ok, don't panic. Sometimes this happens. Take about a Tablespoon of cornstarch and put it in a small cup. Add enough water (about 2-3 teaspoons) to dissolve completely. This is called a slurry. Gentle dribble the cornstarch mixture into the sauce while stirring and the sauce is very hot. It will thicken within a few moments.
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