Istrian Gnocchi with Moose Sausage and Pepper Sauce

I tell you, the May issue of Gourmet has some delicious recipes. This one caught my eye as soon as I looked through it. I will just give you the recipe for the gnocchi, and not the truffle cream it is suggested to serve them with. I cannot get truffle butter where I live, and it would take too long to order it. I will give you the recipe for sauce I devised while making the gnocchi.

I will say, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, I had no idea what we would eat for dinner, and then had dinner on the table by 7 o'clock, not bad. Maybe to some that would seem like a long time, but if you are one who cooks, it really was not.

Istrian Gnocchi ( I doubled this recipe, for 3 people for a main course)                  ( yes we were little piggies)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 to 1/3 cup water

Sift flour in a mound on a wooden board, work surface, or a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Add egg, salt, oil and 1/4 cup of water to well, and mix with a fork, gathering flour into egg mixture to form a dough. If it seems dry, add water (up to 2 tbsp.). Knead on a lightly floured surface, incorporating just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

Quarter dough. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep remainder under an overturned bowl), roll dough between your palms into a 6" log, then cut crosswise into about 26(1/8" thick) pieces. Roll each piece into a 3" log, that is 1/4" thick in the center, and 1/8" thick on the ends. Remember back to playing with play dough and making worms, it is similar to that! Transfer to a flour dusted surface..tea towel. 

Do this with each quarter of the dough.

Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water(2 tbsp. salt for 6 quarts water) until cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes.

Drain pasta, and serve immediately with your favourite sauce.

Serves 4 to 6 as a starter!

Sausage Pepper Pasta Sauce

1 pkg. sausage, any kind you wish to use, I used moose sausage.

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 bulb garlic, sliced

1/2 to 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes

3 1/2 red and yellow sweet peppers, cubed

1/2 bag spinach

1 jar mild salsa, I used Mrs. Renfro's

1/4 to 1/2 cup of 1/2 & 1/2

Heat oil in a large pan or pot. Squeeze sausage meat from the casings into rough little meatballs. Saute with the garlic until cooked through. Add hot pepper flakes and the peppers, cook stirring from time to time for about 5 minutes.  Add  spinach, and stir until it is cooked down. Add whole jar of salsa, cook stirring until the sauce is heated through and starting to bubble, turn heat down to a low simmer. Once the sauce is simmering, add the 1/2 & 1/2 a little at a time stirring to mix through. Add enough cream to make a slightly creamy sauce.

Serve with the gnocchi!! Yum!