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My Italian granny was family-famous for a few certain dishes, and this recipe is probably my favorite. Granted, we all have our personal preferences – her risotto usually being the most loved. This dish is probably less popular amongst her kids simply because they ate it regularly when growing up. (It was a cost-effective way to feed five children when every penny counts.) But for me, this dish is the epitome of comfort food. Is it a pasta or a dumpling? Who cares?! It’s delicious! Pass me the parmesan cheese…
I admit that I’ve never made gnocchi on my own, but I’ve been the sous-chef more times than I care to count. And it may be ridiculous, but I get excited every time I see someone on one of the Food Network shows whipping up a batch of gnocchi because I like to see if their technique is the same, and I especially like to hear how they pronounce it. It’s one of those tricky words, and my granny said it VERY differently than anyone I’ve ever heard. (I’ve come to learn that it depends on what part of Italy you’re from.)
So, if you’re in the mood for a fairly easy comfort food recipe, give this one a go…
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds potatoes
- 1 cup flour (approximate)
- 1 egg (slightly beaten)
- 4-6 tablespoons of butter (browned) and parmesan cheese – or other preferred toppings
- Salt to taste
Directions:
First, ready your cooking area by cleaning some counter space and sprinkling it generously with flour. Then, peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks, and boil until tender. Once boiled, gently mash, or rice, the potatoes and place them in small piles, spread out along the counter (to cool so the egg doesn’t cook when added).
Next, bring the cooled potatoes into a pile, drizzle the beaten egg over it, and sprinkle about 3/4 cup of flour on top. Using a large pastry scraper, or spatula, scrape underneath and begin folding the dough until the egg and flour are incorporated into the mixture, and the dough is light and crumbly. Then, gently knead the dough. If the mix is too sticky, you can add the rest of the flour if needed.
Now, as my mother says, “Depending on the potatoes, the flour, the weather, the time of year, and whether or not the gnocchi gods are smiling on you, the dough should be moist but not sticky and feel almost billowy.” (I know, because that make sense… ha.) Anyway, if need be, sprinkle with more flour until this “billowy” texture is achieved.
Last, cut the dough into eight sections and roll each into snake-like noodles (with an approximate thickness of a person’s thumb). Then, cut up each rolled section, making numerous 3/4-inch pillow-like pieces. Next, cook in salted boiling water until the “pillows” float to the surface (usually about one to two minutes). Then, remove and place in serving dish. (It is advisable to cook noodles in a few rounds, rather than all at once so they don’t stick together.)
Our family prefers to then cover our gnocchi with browned butter and parmesan cheese, but you can certainly use whatever sauce or topping you like.
PS: As I’m sure you can guess, this process makes a bit of a mess on your counter. The easiest way to clean up, is to scrap your counter off (using a plastic turner or something that won’t scratch) before thoroughly wiping it down. Adding water right away just turns everything into a paste.
PPS: The most common way I’ve heard gnocchi said is, “noh-kee.” Once in Italy, I asked our waiter and it didn’t sound like “noh-kee” to me at all. (I don’t even know how to spell it phonetically…) But MY family (learning from my granny) pronounces it “yaw-kee.” I once joked that our family must have been from the “backwoods” of Italy, but then I found out that different parts Italy have subtle dialect variations… However, I also take into consideration that my granny used to call a sink a “zinc.” (I still smile about that.)
For fun, I’ve included some pictures of Granny making gnocchi long ago. (I was taking notes.) As I recall, I got yelled at for taking pictures instead of helping, haha.
🙂
