In Tuscany, the word gnocchi translates to knuckle. I am told the word translates in southern Italy to something more derogatory (perhaps knuckle head?). Either way, these little knuckles of pasta will elevate a traditional pasta meal to a magical event. And. . . your kids can help shape them if they are Play Doh masters!
On the other "hand," the same recipe below for gnocchi can be prepared and added to a skillet of smoked sausage, onion, and sweetened sauerkraut to become a perfect Bavarian comfort food feast. This is a versatile potato pasta that is very easy to make, and it can be used in any recipe that calls for dumplings by providing a mouthful of comfort that we all can appreciate.
As usual, please read the entire recipe first. I bought my family and friends a digital scale for Christmas, so I am providing approximate weights of potatoes and flour. Weighing is useful in cooking!!
Ingredients: (makes 2 meal servings or 4 side dish servings)
3 white potatoes cooked unpeeled about 3-4 inches in size ~14 ounces by weight (peel after cooking)
1 cup all purpose flour ~ 4 ounces
1 egg mixed in bowl before adding to mixture
1 tsp salt
small pot with lid for boiling potatoes
pot of boiling salted water for cooking gnocchi
Method:
Place 3 whole potates in a small pot with lid covered in water. Boil them about 40 minutes until soft. Remove from water and while holding each one in a dish towel, peel off the skin. You want the potatoes to remain as dry as possible so do not run under water to peel.
Chop the potatoes using the bench scraper. Add flour to potatoes to cool off and then add the egg and salt. This will create a nice mound to knead. Divide into 2 mounds. Take pieces of each mound and roll into snakes either in your hands or on work surface. Remember play doh? Same idea.
Once you have a nice width of a snake as shown, take the bench scraper again and cut into one inch "knuckles" to form a row of gnocchi. That's it! Let them sit before boiling at least 10 minutes. Just like making pancakes, the flour needs some time to absorb the liquid in the dough. Sitting is important it incorporates the tastes of the ingredients.
Place the rested gnocchi in a pot of boiling water - about 20 at a time - don't crowd. This will take 2-3 minutes only. Once they begin to float, remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat in the same boiling water until done. You can store these in the refridgerator for future use once they are boiled. You can freeze once cooled in fridge, just separate them so they don't stick together like a blob!
Shown swimming below in a jar of Bertolli Vodka Sauce. YUM!
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| Use 3 medium potatoes about 3-4 inches in size as shown. With peels my 3 weighed 14 ounces. |
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| One cup flour weighs 4 ounces. |
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| A few ingredients: salt, flour, egg, boiled potatoes. |
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| Knead into a ball and cut in half. |
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| Roll into a snake and cut into 1 inch knuckles. Let sit 10 minutes. |
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| Place raw gnocchi in pot of boiling salted water. Remove when they float in pot . |
