Potato Gnocchi
Living in Italy taught me that simple is delicious when you have good products, and a good quality potato is essential for this recipe.
I used to be intimidated by gnocchi, and I recall the first time I made it; I was not sure if it had enough flour or reached the correct consistency. With time and repetition, I learned how to feel when no more flour is needed. Kind of like when making pizza dough.
Some add eggs to the mixture; this is a personal preference you may try to decide your favourite. Gnocchi is a simple dish and requires a simple sauce. My favourite way to prepare it is with basil pesto or a simple tomato sauce.
Servings: 6-7
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1300 grams russet potatoes
350 grams all-purpose flour
Bench flour
Method:
· Peel, cut and boil the potatoes until soft.
· Once warm, run through a food mill or ricer, or you can beat in a mixer using a K attachment.
· Pour in all the flour and work it with your hands until it forms a soft, smooth, not sticky dough. You may use what you need of the bench flour.
· Roll the dough on a floured surface and form a sausage that it 10 cm in diameter.
· With a knife, cut a 2 Cm slice and roll it on a floured surface to a thin sausage 2 cm in diameter.
· Cut the sausage into pieces 3 cm in length and place on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel. Make sure they don't overlap with each other, or they will stick to each other.
· If you have the gnocchi shaper, lightly press each piece, roll and flick it away. No pressure is required.
· If you don't have a shaper, you can use the back of a fork.
· Cover the gnocchi with a clean kitchen towel, and they can keep up to 2 hours before the start to oxidise.
· Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook them 20 to 25 pieces simultaneously; when ready, they will float to the surface. This takes about 2 minutes or so.
· Use a perforated spoon to lift them out of the water and place them in the serving bowl mixing with a bit of the sauce every time. Repeat until finished.
Notes:
· Use russet potatoes if possible; they contain less water.
· You can use gluten-free flour for gluten-free gnocchi. Simply add enough flour until it reaches a soft, non-sticky consistency.
· You can bake the potatoes in the oven or microwave, or air fryer instead of boiling them; this way, less flour will be used.
· If you are not cooking them immediately, you must freeze them as the potato will start to oxidise. Freeze the tray as is, and when the gnocchi is frozen, bag them immediately and place them back in the freezer for up to 3 months—Cook from frozen following the same method.
Per Serving : 329 Calories; 1g Fat (1.8% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 72g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 12mg Sodium