Falafil

Ah the food of my people...Just when you thought that chick peas couldn't get any better you deep fry it. I was previously unaware how much falafil benefits from a liberal use of oil in the cooking. They could be readily added to anyone's list of appropriate Chanukkah delicacies. As you can see these were not actually deep fried, just pan fried in oil - all in the name of health. I hope no one minded. What really made these was the wonderful 1oz. ice cream scooper that my mother-in-law got me for Christmas. Thanks Jane! They just scooped up and popped out with ease and consistency.

Green Mountain Gnocci

This potato (green mountain) is by far one of the best we have grown and the flavor that came out in the gnocchi was amazing, these will be grown in our garden for many years to come. The actual potatoes for this gnocchi are from Jon on Blue Moon Farm, a potato Ben introduced on the farm and in our home gardens.

Making gnocchi is incredibly fun and easy once you get the hang of rolling them on a fork. Our most recent recipe:
2 lbs potatoes, cooked in tact with skin on until just knife tender
Cool, peel and mash
Add about a tsp of Olive oil, salt and pepper to season
Slightly whisk 2 eggs, add to potato
Gradually add about 1.25 cups of flour- until it isn't sticky but still has some tackiness to it.
Roll out into a snake on a floured surface.
Cut into 3/4 inch pieces, roll on fork-- this part can take a bit to get the hang of, we found it easiest to not go all the way off the fork, so use your biggest eating fork to have enough space to roll without going off the end.

Boil for about three minutes in salted water. Make some sort of topping. For this weeks food nanny delivery, we roasted fennel, carrots and leaks, with some olive oil and a bunch of garlic. I licked my plate when I was done. Paired great with Ravenswood Zinfindal.