Lucky Gnocchi

I seem to be eating with Cyndi a lot lately. A couple Thursday's ago she invited some friends over for a traditional Argentinian gnocchi dinner. After doing some reading up on the topic, I found out that when people got paid on the first of every month in South America so money was always tight by the end of the month. Since there was little funds available, Gnocchi became a good way to enjoy a hearty, inexpensive meal on a meager budget. Gnocchi are cheap since all you really need are potatoes and flour and hence a way of dealing with low funds to eat at the end of every month became a tradition. People all over certain parts of South America get together on the same day every month (29th) just to eat Gnocchi. To partake, you simply slide some money under your plate and eat Gnocchi.

Whole-Wheat Gnocchi

To top off the Gnocchi, Cyndi made a Cannellini, spinach, tomato mixture. It was quite delicious.

After dinner we had Yerba maté tea. Mate tea is another Argentina tradition. The infusion called mate is prepared by steeping dry leaves of yerba mate in hot water. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd with a metal straw is a common social practice in Argentina. I blieve Yerba mate tea is an acquired taste. While some may find it enjoyable, I found it extremely bitter. Probably more bitter than anything I've ever tasted- and I love unsweetened coffee. It tastes similar to what I imagine drinking grass would taste like. Supposedly,the health benefits of drinking this beverage are huge though. Go figure.