An Ode to Prince Edward Island

For our final meal on Prince Edward Island we decided to pay tribute to some of the island’s amazing ingredients.  Simple potatoes are elevated by creating fluffy pillows of gnocchi.  In another dish, potatoes become infused with the heady aroma of seared island lamb steaks marinated with wild lavender.  In our version of summer succotash, the flavors of  garden vegetables sing in harmony to accompany the meal with a fresh, crisp sweetness.

Potatoes are extremely versatile and can be transformed into countless tasty dishes, but of all the many potato preparations, gnocchi may be the most elegant of them all!  For our final meal on PEI, making gnocchi seemed like an ideal way to showcase this signature ingredient.

Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling that is often served with simple tomato sauce.  They are also delicious served with a white sauce or simply tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese as we did here.  Gnocchi dough is made simply from cooked potatoes, egg yolks, flour, and salt.

However simple the ingredients may be, the real success of this recipe is in the mixing and handling of the dough, which must be done very gently and minimally (and I believe, quickly) in order to create a gnocchi that is light and fluffy–just as good gnocchi should be!

The medium-sized, waxy PEI potatoes have an incredible fresh sweetness that tastes great in the gnocchi, but it seems that large russet potatoes, with their substantial size and starchy interior results in a fluffier finished product and are altogether easier to work with.

Keep in mind that this can be a somewhat time and labor intensive project.  However, gnocchi is great for making ahead because it stores very well in the freezer and is perhaps best when dropped frozen directly into the boiling water.  A potato ricer is extremely useful to keep the potatoes hot and fluffy when making this recipe, however, a strong medium-mesh sieve and strong spoon will do in a pinch.

Potato Gnocchi (Feeds: 4 people)
2 ea large	Russet potatoes
3 ea	Egg yolks
1 1/2 cup	Flour (plus more for dusting)
2 tsp	Salt
-Roast the potatoes in 350d F. oven until cooked through (about 1 hour). -Peel the skin and press through food mill or sieve. -While potatoes are still hot, combine them in a bowl with egg yolks, flour, and salt. -Using a firm spoon, gently fold together ingredients until just combined. -Gently press the dough into a ball. The dough should be just barely sticky. -Divide into 8 sections. Lightly flour surface and roll each section into a long tube. -Cut into 1/2 in. pieces and roll over the back of a fork to form grooves on the gnocchi. -Test one gnocchi in boiling water to make sure that is holds together. Freeze the remaining gnocchi if desired. -Boil in salted water until the gnocchi floats to the top. Drain well and saute in butter until golden. Serve.
Source: ChefsOnTheRoad.com

Our summer succotash is simply an assortment of fresh summer vegetables that is a rather loose interpretation of the classic dish of shelled beans and corn.  Peeling fresh tomatoes and saving the juice to be added to the pan and reduced really boosts up the sweetness of the dish. The vegetables are added in succession, according to cooking time, to ensure even cooking for all the vegetables of this summer assemblage.

Summer Succotash (Feeds: 4 people)
1 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 medium	Red onion, diced
3 cloves	Garlic, minced
1/2 cup	Carrots, diced
1/2 cup	Yellow pepper, diced
1/2 cup	Corn, cut off the cob
1 cup	Wax beans, cut into 1 in. pieces
1/2 cup	Peas, shelled fresh
3 ea large	Tomatoes
2 tsp	Salt
1 tsp	Pepper
-Using a sharp knife, core the tomatoes and cut a small X at the base of each one. -Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer immediately to ice bath. -Slip the skins off the tomatoes, quarter them, and squeeze out the juice and reserve.  Chop the tomatoes into 1 in pieces. -Heat the olive oil in large saute pan. -Sweat garlic and red onions until soft. -Add carrots and celery and cook on medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. -Add yellow pepper, corn, wax beans, and peas and tomato juice and continue to cook, stirring, for 10 minutes until almost all the tomato juice is evaporated. -Add the tomato pieces, salt, and pepper.  Cook, stirring, for 3 more minutes–just until the tomatoes are heated through. Serve.
Source: ChefsOnTheRoad.com

If you are beginning to wonder “are there are any great food products that Prince Edward Island does not produce,” then there is one more ingredient that should not be overlooked, and that ingredient is lamb! Lamb from the island is often considered to be the best in Canada, and it has an intense lamb flavor that is grassy, robust, and delicious!

We purchased lamb shoulder steaks from the farmers market and marinated the steaks with crushed garlic, black pepper, olive oil, and wild lavender. It is easy to imagine lambs in the field grazing on floral and mint-flavored wild lavender, therefore it seems like a natural paring for the pungent lamb; the marinade adds a wonderfully fresh bouquet to the meat.

Before cooking the lamb, we seasoned the marinated lamb steaks with salt.  We placed the meat into a hot pan with olive oil and seared the steaks to a juicy medium. A little extra cooking time helped to soften the tough, silver skin of this particular cut of lamb, and  the tender meat near the bone came out as pink and juicy as a fine rare veal chop.

Finally, just because we could not get enough PEI potatoes on our trip, we quartered some of the local spuds and blanched them in boiling water until just cooked.  Then, as the last sizzling lamb steak came out of the pan, we plunged the potatoes into the pan and crisped them in the lamb drippings for some deeply lamb-flavored sauteed potatoes.  It was the perfect marriage of two wonderful island ingredients!

Our wonderful memories of Prince Edward Island were sealed in our minds with thoughts of the beautiful flavors and smells that wafted through the sea-salt ocean breeze, the incredible people who shared these great meals, and the passion that made it all a reality. Thank you, PEI!