Of all the things I thought might happen Monday, being attacked by a Bat while walking through the halls at work was not one of them.

And by "bat" I do mean a flying rabid rat.

I had just gotten done taking a break between getting orders for next week sorted out and a fisting of a catering that had come up on short-notice, and as I was walking back to the main kitchen the bat just flew at me and hit me in the chest. At this point I'd like to tell you I was all man, taking care of the problem without flinching –and I can proudly say I didn't shriek or yelp- but it was probably more like Norm MacDonald getting hit with that pen on SNL. A flailing of the arms and a loud "what the fuck!?!" was about all I could muster. Ah, manly.

Our exec came out with a broom and in true-form smacked it around very comically until it was dead. So yeah, that was my Monday.

The End.

A few days back I was reading through the past postings at Is my blog burning? and saw an event listed at YumSugar that peaked my interest. The idea is simple, send them a picture of you with your favorite cookbook. In this particular case I'm going to submit a picture from not so long ago, one I jokingly refer to as "Moses and the Tablets"...



You have to give them "one short sentence" as to why you have chosen whatever cookbook you're holding. For me? I dunno. I'm holding the Professional Chef and Baking & Pastry, both text produced and used religiously by the CIA. (No, the other CIA, Not those shady spy pricks...)

For me, these are classics. They got me through a lot of "what-if" scenarios -including that meal at St. Marks- and always serve as a basis for all the crazy shit I feel compelled to do. Buhleedat.

I have a pretty decent routine going. Up at 6:00am, to bed by 10:00pm, repeat. Things have leveled out quite a lot since I met Kerrie, and even more since I started working for the U.

But there was a time, not so long ago, when the midnight-run was pretty standard. Be it Waffle House, The Corner Grill, or the occasional Big Boy visit, it was common to be out at all hours of the night looking for food to eat. There were quite a few nights where Edwards and I would hit the Waffle House or where Jeb and I would go to Big Boy and just burn the hours away talking about meaningless, but utterly deep, bullshit.

I bring all of this up, because tonight I had a flashback. Nothing too intense or dramatic, but a "feeling" for the past. You see, today Kerrie and I had Chipotle for lunch. I had four tacos and she had a good sized salad. Needless to say, we weren't entirely hungry for a huge meal for dinner. In fact, we weren't really hungry at all. So the evening slipped away and suddenly we were both a tiny bit peckish. In an attempt to make a simple, quick, and light meal, I pulled out some leftover beef tenderloin in Demi Glaze and sliced it thin, then paired it with some french bread and clarified butter. I had an old mix CD on and this feeling caught me. The Late Night Food Run feeling. Something special from that past that I don't do anymore -not that you could drag my ass out of bed at 1:00am anyways- that is still as vibrant now as it was then.





latenightfoodiegroove
Radiohead & The Posies - Blowout
Massive Attack - Protection
Lyle Lovitt & His Large Band - Nobody Knows Me

Tonight was the first night in almost two weeks that I've had a chance to actually work in the kitchen. Between work, the computer, and life in general, things have been too hectic for me to really commit to my bit.

Even tonight, I had to fight the urge to just say "fuck it" and go out to eat. I am glad, however, that I fought that urge and stayed in to make Gnocchi.

I've had the desire to make Gnocchi for a while now, and this past weekend it dawned on me that THIS was my week. This past weekend, incidentally, I worked a catering down in Kentucky for a Catholic church festival with my dopey-ass former co-worker E. While there, I happened to see a calender on the wall as saw that THIS week was The Feast of the Assumption. For those of you from Lakota, the FofA is a big deal in Little Italy in Cleveland. Streets are blocked off, there are vendors everywhere serving pasta and canolis, and they parade a statue of the Virgin Mary down the street.

I have had the pleasure of being there twice during the Feast, and I must say it IS impressive. The whole event is overwhelming, and the food is to die for. This year, however... Not so much, as I'm tethered to work.

So I decided that tonight was my night to make Gnocchi.













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Garlic Gnocchi
2 Lb. Potatoes
8 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Flour, Plus 1 Cup for adding in
1 Egg
1 T Salt

Start by peeling the potatoes and quartering them.
Next, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add potatoes and garlic.
Boil for about 7-9 minutes, or just until soft.
Drain potatoes and garlic, and mash well.
Gather potato/garlic mix into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Make a well in the middle of the potato/garlic mix and add egg and salt.
Add 1 cup flour, gradually, and work with hands until fully incorporated.
Add extra flour as needed to make a nice, slightly firm and smooth dumpling dough.

Cut Dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a long cord.
Cut the cord at 1 inch intervals.
Roll each individual dumpling on a Gnocchi Ridger or lightly press a fork onto the dough to make ridges.

Drop Gnocchi into a pot of lightly salted, barely simmering water and cook until the Gnocchi begin to float.

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gnocchigroove:
Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness
Pinewood Derby - Legacy
Rolling Stones - Street Fightin' Man
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Bad Reputation

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