Potato gnocchi - Gnocchi di patate
This is a real classic of the Italian cuisine and one of my favorite dishes ever. It takes a little time to prepare them but they are easy to make and more than worth the effort. In Verona every year we have a Gnocchi festival called, “Venerdì Gnocolar” during the carnival season, where it’s a must to eat gnocchi.
Ingredients:
2 lbs - 2 oz. whole baking potatoes
1 beaten egg
2-1/4 cups flour
pinch of salt
Instructions:
1. Boil the potatoes whole with the skin in salted water until cooked.
2. Once cooked drain the potatoes and then peel them being careful not to burn yourself.
3. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a bowl.
4. Add the flour, egg and a good pinch of salt.
5. Mix until you have a nice pliable ball of dough.
6. Prepare a work area and dust it with flour.
7. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter.
8. Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long.
9. With a fork, holding the tines against the work surface, use your finger to press a piece of dough gently against the fork and roll it slightly then letting it fall to the table.
10. The result should be gnocchi with an indent on one side from your finger and a pattern on the other side from the fork.
11. Handle the gnocchi carefully so they don’t loose their shape. Place them on a lightly flour plates. Keep them apart so they don’t touch one another or they’ll stick together.
12. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and then add the gnocchi carefully a plate or two at a time. When they float to the surface they are ready just remove them with a slotted spoon and set them in a strainer to drain off the excess water.
13. Add more gnocchi to the water and serve the others right away.
Notes:
You can serve gnocchi a lot of different ways. A classic in my region is with cinnamon or butter and sage. Other sauce that go well with gnocchi are; tomato sauce, ragu sauce, pesto sauce and four cheese sauce. If you want to serve the gnocchi up faster use more than one pot of boiling water. Of course if you have someone who can give you a hand things will go much faster.
I suggested baking potatoes because they are starchy and make good gnocchi. Don’t use red potatoes.
The gnocchi can be prepared ahead of time and then stored in the refrigerator for a few hours if necessary. Then all you need to do is cook them at meal time.
If you want you can use the back of a cheese grater in place of the fork to give the gnocchi different pattern.
wonderful recipe! I made these tonight and the family loved them. They were exceptionally light..i’ve had others before that were heavy. I think ricing the potatoes made the difference.
I’ll pass this recipe on to others.
thanks!
ciao
Thanks kathy, I’m glad you liked the recipe.
Can gnocchi be frozen? If so before it is cooked or after?
Gnocchi can be frozen before they’re cooked. Place them on a plastic or paper tray dusted with flour and freeze them. When frozen, transfer them in a freezer bag. When you cook them don’t thaw them first but rather add them frozen to the boiling water.
Just wanted to say “what a website” Very Nicely Done.
I love the step-by-step pictures! Is there any way to make this dish without a potato ricer?
I don’t have a ricer so I used my food processor. It still worked out nicely, I definitely plan on getting one. The recipe worked great and now that I have some frozen I don’t have to buy them anymore
Where do i purchase a ricer?
@Mary: You can purchase it on Amazon
Trying this tonight! Thanks for the pics along with the easy to follow instructions - should be fun!
That was great! Definitely worth the time and effort!
@Sara: I’m really glad you liked gnocchi. I’ll try to add new recipes for carnival!
[...] easy to prepare just follow my instructions. If you like to see pictures just check my basic potato gnocchi recipe. When ready, gnocchi should be cooked within two hours and they are best kept in the refrigerator [...]
I remember the ingredients but not the exact proportions for an egg-based soup crouton. They have flour, egg, baking powder, parmeson/romano cheese, water, and parsley. You can either make a “frittata” like version in some olive oil in a fry pan or bake them. After they cook, they are diced and placed in broth. I think I have the ingredients correct but it has been so long since my family made these, I may be mistaken. If you could provide the correct proportions and perhaps, better or more authentic ingredients, I would appreciate it! Also, I’d love to know the correct name of such a soup addition - my family called them “sponges!”
Thank you.
@Jeanne: I know this dish, but I’ve never made this recipe myself. I don’t remember how we call it but I’m trying to find it out. I’ll let you know.