How to make gnocchi like an Italian grandmother
I was taught this gnocchi recipe when a friend came to visit from Genoa, Italy. Her mother came along and one night she taught us her homemade gnocchi recipe next to a small mountain of lovely, fragrant basil. I posted about the pesto that we made with it in a separate post and, as promised, the gnocchi as a follow-up. Ready!?
Gnocchi takes patience
Gnocchi recipes are not for the faint of heart. Lots and lots of things can go wrong. I don't want to scare or scare you off, I just want you to know what you are getting yourself into. Making gnocchi takes practice, patience, and perseverance. At best, potato gnocchi can be light and tender. In the worst case, dense, rubbery and / or squishy. Worst of all is the gnocchi, which disintegrate in the boiling water before they even reach your plate.
The simplest ingredients
The platter of dainty potato pillows covered with glittering sprinkles of basil pesto that Francesca's mother had prepared for us that evening was beautiful. The gnocchi recipe she taught us consisted of just three ingredients – boiled, starchy, rust-red potatoes combined with a minimal amount of flour (too much flour and your gnocchi will be heavy) and some salt – no eggs. I've made their version a little more user-friendly here because to be honest, eggless gnocchi are very difficult to handle and very delicate to handle. I'm afraid if I post the eggless version here there will be some of you who try, get frustrated, and curse me. Well, it's a little egg.
This Gnocchi Recipe: The Details
In the version here, I'm adding just enough egg to act as a binder for the gnocchi. We still don't use too much flour and the resulting gnocchi are deliciously light. You can also withstand a toss with your favorite sauce. You can see them at the top of this post, thrown with this favorite pesto.
Gnocchi with egg or no?
If you want to try a hurried version, try this version first. Then, maybe next time, use half the egg and then no more egg. By this point, you should have understood all of the other steps and have a better perspective and level of experience from which to work. You will also have a better feel for how to handle and work with the dough.
So here it is – the long-awaited gnocchi recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think. If you know how to make pesto, this is the time to do it! A simple throw is perfect. And if you haven't tried making your own homemade pasta or cavatelli – one of these should be next on your list! You can also find the full list of pasta recipes here.
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