Are you looking for a typical gnocchi recipe? Look no more!
Gnocchi are a very traditional dish in Italy, usually made on Sunday or for holidays and special occasions. These little soft but chewy pillows are perfect with a rich meat tomato sauce, but also with pesto, butter and sage or also with anchovies and broccoli.
Usually potatoes are mashed with a special tool (a potato ricer), not the usual masher, because there should not be lumps into the dough to get the best result. You can buy a potato ricer on line pretty much every where in the world.
Potato gnocchi recipe: tips and tricks
The recipe for making gnocchi is easy and they freeze very well, I usually make more to keep them ready in the freezer when I’m in a hurry. This way I can have gnocchi even when I do not have much time to cook.
How to freeze fresh gnocchi: Simply boil the gnocchi for a couple of minutes, drain, cool and freeze on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper as soon as they’re enough cooled down to be handled (about two hours). Once they’re semi frozen, transfer them into a ziplock bag. They will keep for at least 5 months.
When you make gnocchi you want them to collect as much sauce as possibile. To get this result you can go two ways: using your finger or a fork to change the shape.
If you want to use your hand, simply make an indentation in each one with your finger.
You can otherwise use a fork to make a pattern. I have to say I prefer this one, it takes a bit longer but the result is better!
Try using the same sauce I used to make lasagne to season this gnocchi, with a generous amount of greated pecorino on top you will get the true taste of a classic home made Italian recipe.
Ingredients for preparing Gnocchi
- 600gr potatoes
- 300gr flour
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of salt
Method
Step 1
boil the potatoes whole, skin on, and peel them once cooked
Step 2
mash them, but do not use a food processor otherwise they’ll become creamy ad it will be almost impossibile to obtain a decent dough.
Step 3
pour mashed potatoes in a bowl and add the other ingredients, mix with a spoon or with a spatula then with your hands until you get a firm dough (it will still be a little sticky, but do not add too much flour otherwise they’ll become too hard when cooked)
Step 4
roll the dough into cylinders and then cut into 2cm dumplings. You can now choose to roll each dumpling onto a fork to get the striped shape that will gather more sauce or you can simply make an indentation with your finger.
Step 5
cook gnocchi into abundant boiling water and drain. Serve with meat sauce, butter and sage, cheese sauce or pesto.
