Technically an Italian pasta, gnocchi are made from cooked mashed potatoes, flour and eggs. There are many varieties of gnocchi that you can make but to keep it more traditional, I wanted to focus on the potato variety. Gnocchi originated in Northern Italy, which is known for its heartier cuisine like risotto and polenta, and also happens to be where my family is from.
Gnocchi, or as I like to affectionately call them, potato pillows, are super light and fluffy, and very easy to make but require a little bit of time and patience, which we all seem to have an abundance of these days! They are also very versatile and can take a lot of different sauces, such as pesto, tomato sauce and mozzarella, and sage butter.
The most common and traditional way to make gnocchi only requires mashed potatoes and flour, but the egg helps keep the gnocchi intact when cooking and it's my preferred way of making them. You can try without the egg but don't say I didn't warn you!
Servings: 5-6 depending on portion
Ingredients:
1.5-2 lbs (about 3 large) Russet potatoes, whole
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 egg
Sauce options:
Pesto (explained below)
Tomato sauce & mozzarella
Directions:
Grab a large pot of water and place the UNPEELED WHOLE potatoes into the pot. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are soft, about 30 minutes. To prevent water from boiling over, drape a wooden spoon over the pot. To test the potato if it's ready, insert a knife into it. If the knife inserts easily and potato falls off the knife, they are ready. Reserve your pot of water.
Working quickly, remove the potatoes from the pot of water (place them in a colander if you'd like) and peel as soon as they are cool enough to handle. You want the potatoes to be warm when you mash them so do not let them cool completely.
If using a potato ricer (recommended), rice the potatoes into a large bowl. If using a potato masher, mash the potatoes in the large bowl until there are no chunks, this will take a bit longer than the ricer. Add 1 cup of flour and start to combine with the potatoes, use your hand or a wooden spoon if too hot. Make a well in the center of the dough an add your egg, but make sure your dough isn't too hot otherwise it will cook the egg. Combine the dough with the egg, then add another 1/4-1/2 cup of flour and knead for about 30 seconds-1 minute until smooth and slightly sticky (i.e. do not add more flour). DO NOT OVER KNEAD.
On a lightly floured surface, take a piece of the dough and roll it out into a rope about 1/2" think. Cut the dough using a knife into pillow-like shapes about 3/4" long. Set aside on a floured surface making sure they do not touch. If you're feeling ambitious, you can use the back of a lightly floured fork to shape the gnocchi. It takes a bit of patience and practice, but stick with it!
Turn your reserved pot of water back on, removing any pieced of potato that may have been left in. Once it comes to a boil, salt the water, then start scooping your gnocchi in. Grab a medium bowl and add a few tbsp of pesto (the amount will depend on how many you make*). Add 1-2 tsp of the potato water to the pesto and stir to give it a more sauce-like texture. Once gnocchi float to the top (about 2-3 minutes), they are ready. Strain them using a slotted spoon and place them directly into your bowl with pesto. Toss to combine, serve warm.
*If you made too many and would like to freeze, freeze cut gnocchi on a tray in the freezer for about 1 hour, then transfer to a ziplock bag. Cook them as explained above, keeping in mind that the cold of the gnocchi may lower the water temperature and therefore take longer to cook (4-5 minutes). I made gnocchi both fresh and frozen and did not taste any difference.
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