Gnocchi pomodoro and matcha panna cotta

+ a new addition to the newsletter, The Red Sauce Review

This newsletter has two of my favorite dishes. Gnocchi pomodoro and matcha panna cotta. Both dishes I have fond memories for. When I was 20 I lived Dublin, Ireland with four strangers (three from France and one from Italy). I found the room on Gumtree and wired money to the owner of the property, not even considering that the place might not even exist or who else would be living there. I struck out with pure luck, the house was real and the roommates couldn’t have been better people to experience a new country with. Friday nights were gnocchi nights. Before heading out to drink at a pub we would convene in the kitchen. Andrea (from Turin) would lead our gnocchi night and we would all help out with rolling and cutting the dough. It was the first time I was taught no egg in the dough and the importance of passata in a glass jar. We would cook, eat, and clean up all together. Then part ways to our own rooms and get ready to go out. I remember a year later visiting my parents to show them I could make gnocchi only for the pasta to dissolve in the bubbling salted water. I hadn’t really paid attention, perhaps too caught up in the conversations amongst the group or distracted by my own excitement to get to the pub. Whenever I eat panna cotta I immediately think of my first trip to Rome when I was 22. It wasn’t a popular dessert back home in California or in Ireland at the time. I remember ordering it at the end of every meal for a week straight.

Lastly, a new addition to my newsletter The Red Sauce Review, will be short restaurant reviews focusing on their red sauce. This has been a longstanding topic between me and my partner. We don’t dine out often but when we do we are consistently disappointed with how low the bar is set for red sauce at restaurants. I will be sharing the name of the restaurant and the dishes ordered. The review will focus on two parts, the overall experience and the red sauce. Enjoy!