So the first time I ever had gnocchi (pronounced no-kee) was in Italy. It wasn't even what I ordered but as the plate came out and was set down in front of my husband there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to steal a bite. There's something devastatingly bad about trying out a pasta dish for the first time in Italy. You can't go home and get the same mouth watering experience, it's just not possible. The gnocchi we had (yes I said we) was the lightest, most airy gnocchi I have ever had. If you have never had gnocchi before let me explain how this delectable Italian staple is made. It's more of a potato dumpling than a pasta. You use potatoes, eggs, and flour and combine them until the dough comes together. Cook them in simmering salted water and use a sauce of your choice. Simple right? Well sometimes it isn't so simple. There are nuances to making this meal and it all starts with how you cook the potatoes.
Potatoes can be very unforgiving. Boil them instead of simmer and you're left with a gluey mashed potato, cook them too long for a gnocchi and you get the same disastrous result. Do not fear though, you can avoid this and you can make gnocchi from scratch. Do you remember my heirloom tomato adventure? Well the caprese salad I made had me purchasing a very well sprung basil plant who to this day is still basking in the sun of the kitchen window. So my basil plant is flourishing with giant leaves and of course it leads to one thought. Pesto. Pesto is a sauce made of basil, Parmesan, lemon, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and traditionally toasted pine nuts. So just like the mouse and his cookie, if I make pesto I'm going to have to make homemade pasta to go with it and gnocchi with its feather like quality is the perfect pasta to make.
I start by washing my potatoes and emerging them in a large pot of cold salted water. When you cook pasta and potatoes always salt the water, and when you salt it-taste it! The water should taste salty, like the sea. Turn the pot to medium high heat and simmer the potatoes for 40 minutes or until tender. See how I said simmer and not boil. Don't bring your pot to a rolling boil, whether making gnocchi or mashed potatoes you'll just end up with an inferior product and a mess on your stove. As soon as the potatoes are fork tender, turn off the heat, drain the water and let them cool just enough that you can handle them, or like me, enough to where the wincing of pain is minimal. Once they have cooled slightly you will want to peel the skin and use a ricer to rice the potatoes. A ricer is a device that works similar to a garlic press. It pushes the potato through a grate and as the name suggests leaves the bits of potato looking like small rice grains. If you don't have one of these you can push through a strainer or anything that will create small rice like bits of potato. You will want to rice your potatoes onto a cold work surface in a single layer so they can cool completely. While you wait for them to cool bring a large stock pot of cold, salted water to a simmer over medium high heat.
Once cool gather the potatoes into a mound and create a well in the center of the potatoes (just like you would in mashed potatoes for your gravy). Take your eggs, salt and pepper and combine in a bowl and blend. Pour the egg mixture into the center of your potatoes and using a fork begin mixing, pulling more potato from edge of the well, until the egg is incorporated. Begin adding flour gradually until you form a firm but soft dough. You should be able to form the dough in about 10 minutes. The longer the dough is worked the more flour you will need and the heavier your finished gnocchi will be.
Cut the dough into six equal portions and roll each portion into a long rope approximately ½ inch thick. Cut the rope into ½ inch pieces. Make sure your pieces are consistently the same size, this will allow for even cooking time when you boil your gnocchi. Using a floured fork, roll each piece on the back of the fork in an upward motion with your thumb. This will form a ridge on one side and a slight indentation on the other. Repeat this process until all dough is rolled. Begin cooking the gnocchi in the simmering water, as the gnocchi cooks it will float to the top of the water, approximately 2-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the gnocchi and place In a bowl. Repeat this process until all gnocchi is finished. You can then add your pesto or sauce of your choice, to a large skillet to warm up, add the gnocchi and just cook until warm and combined. Sprinkle with Parmesan to finish and serve immediately.
It's a longer process making gnocchi from scratch but it beats the store bought gnocchi any day, and with a bit of effort and a short ingredient list you'll be eating like you're in Italy.
Potato Gnocchi
Recipe from LidiasItaly.com
4 large, unpeeled russet potatoes, (about 2 ¼ pounds), washed
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
Dash of freshly ground white pepper
3 cups un-bleached all purpose flour, or as needed.
Place potatoes in a large stock pot with cold salted water. Over medium high heat, simmer potatoes for 40 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and let stand until they are cool enough to handle. Scrape the peels off the potatoes and rice them. Spread the rices potatoes into a thin layer.
While the potatoes are cooling bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. On a cool, preferably marble work surface, gather the cold rices potatoes into a mound with a well in the center. Beat the eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and the white pepper together in a small bowl until blended and pour into the well. Work the potatoes and egg together with a fork until blended. Switch to using your hands and begin gradually adding more and more flour until you have a firm yet moist dough. Cut the dough into six equal portions. Roll each piece into a rope ½ inch thick. Cut the rope crosswise into ½ pieces. Flour each piece lightly and on a floured fork roll each piece on the back of the fork lightly along the tines. Set the gnocchi on a baking sheet lines lightly with flour. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Gently drop gnocchi into the simmering water cooking for approximately 2-4 minutes. Remove gnocchi and serve immediately with sauce of choice.
Basil Pesto
25 basil leaves
2 small or large garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¾ cup olive oil
In a small skillet over medium high heat toast pine nuts. Do not walk away from this process, when nuts are toasted they can burn very quickly. Peel garlic and juice the lemon. Add basil,garlic, lemon juice, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until puréed. With the food processor on , slowly add the ¾ cup olive oil, adding more if you like the pesto a bit more creamy. Serve warm on your favorite pasta.
Potatoes can be very unforgiving. Boil them instead of simmer and you're left with a gluey mashed potato, cook them too long for a gnocchi and you get the same disastrous result. Do not fear though, you can avoid this and you can make gnocchi from scratch. Do you remember my heirloom tomato adventure? Well the caprese salad I made had me purchasing a very well sprung basil plant who to this day is still basking in the sun of the kitchen window. So my basil plant is flourishing with giant leaves and of course it leads to one thought. Pesto. Pesto is a sauce made of basil, Parmesan, lemon, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and traditionally toasted pine nuts. So just like the mouse and his cookie, if I make pesto I'm going to have to make homemade pasta to go with it and gnocchi with its feather like quality is the perfect pasta to make.
I start by washing my potatoes and emerging them in a large pot of cold salted water. When you cook pasta and potatoes always salt the water, and when you salt it-taste it! The water should taste salty, like the sea. Turn the pot to medium high heat and simmer the potatoes for 40 minutes or until tender. See how I said simmer and not boil. Don't bring your pot to a rolling boil, whether making gnocchi or mashed potatoes you'll just end up with an inferior product and a mess on your stove. As soon as the potatoes are fork tender, turn off the heat, drain the water and let them cool just enough that you can handle them, or like me, enough to where the wincing of pain is minimal. Once they have cooled slightly you will want to peel the skin and use a ricer to rice the potatoes. A ricer is a device that works similar to a garlic press. It pushes the potato through a grate and as the name suggests leaves the bits of potato looking like small rice grains. If you don't have one of these you can push through a strainer or anything that will create small rice like bits of potato. You will want to rice your potatoes onto a cold work surface in a single layer so they can cool completely. While you wait for them to cool bring a large stock pot of cold, salted water to a simmer over medium high heat.
Once cool gather the potatoes into a mound and create a well in the center of the potatoes (just like you would in mashed potatoes for your gravy). Take your eggs, salt and pepper and combine in a bowl and blend. Pour the egg mixture into the center of your potatoes and using a fork begin mixing, pulling more potato from edge of the well, until the egg is incorporated. Begin adding flour gradually until you form a firm but soft dough. You should be able to form the dough in about 10 minutes. The longer the dough is worked the more flour you will need and the heavier your finished gnocchi will be.
Cut the dough into six equal portions and roll each portion into a long rope approximately ½ inch thick. Cut the rope into ½ inch pieces. Make sure your pieces are consistently the same size, this will allow for even cooking time when you boil your gnocchi. Using a floured fork, roll each piece on the back of the fork in an upward motion with your thumb. This will form a ridge on one side and a slight indentation on the other. Repeat this process until all dough is rolled. Begin cooking the gnocchi in the simmering water, as the gnocchi cooks it will float to the top of the water, approximately 2-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the gnocchi and place In a bowl. Repeat this process until all gnocchi is finished. You can then add your pesto or sauce of your choice, to a large skillet to warm up, add the gnocchi and just cook until warm and combined. Sprinkle with Parmesan to finish and serve immediately.
It's a longer process making gnocchi from scratch but it beats the store bought gnocchi any day, and with a bit of effort and a short ingredient list you'll be eating like you're in Italy.
Potato Gnocchi
Recipe from LidiasItaly.com
4 large, unpeeled russet potatoes, (about 2 ¼ pounds), washed
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
Dash of freshly ground white pepper
3 cups un-bleached all purpose flour, or as needed.
Place potatoes in a large stock pot with cold salted water. Over medium high heat, simmer potatoes for 40 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and let stand until they are cool enough to handle. Scrape the peels off the potatoes and rice them. Spread the rices potatoes into a thin layer.
While the potatoes are cooling bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. On a cool, preferably marble work surface, gather the cold rices potatoes into a mound with a well in the center. Beat the eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and the white pepper together in a small bowl until blended and pour into the well. Work the potatoes and egg together with a fork until blended. Switch to using your hands and begin gradually adding more and more flour until you have a firm yet moist dough. Cut the dough into six equal portions. Roll each piece into a rope ½ inch thick. Cut the rope crosswise into ½ pieces. Flour each piece lightly and on a floured fork roll each piece on the back of the fork lightly along the tines. Set the gnocchi on a baking sheet lines lightly with flour. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Gently drop gnocchi into the simmering water cooking for approximately 2-4 minutes. Remove gnocchi and serve immediately with sauce of choice.
Basil Pesto
25 basil leaves
2 small or large garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¾ cup olive oil
In a small skillet over medium high heat toast pine nuts. Do not walk away from this process, when nuts are toasted they can burn very quickly. Peel garlic and juice the lemon. Add basil,garlic, lemon juice, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until puréed. With the food processor on , slowly add the ¾ cup olive oil, adding more if you like the pesto a bit more creamy. Serve warm on your favorite pasta.
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