Holy Cr@p, I Made Gnocchi...!

I'm very proud of myself! Last week, I successfully made homemade potato gnocchi! It's especially an accomplishment considering I've never even made regular pasta homemade, much less potato pasta. There seems to be this mystique around gnocchi and I've always assumed it was difficult to make correctly. I had this idea in my head that unless you are an Italian grandmother, your gnocchi will turn out gummy or heavy or something. But as I found out after giving it a shot, it's actually not too hard to make - although it does take a little time.

After making the gnocchi, I made a simple but yummy herbed cream sauce to go with them.  I'm going to talk about the cream sauce recipe in my next post.  Today, I want to give the recipe for the gnocchi themselves. 

Gnocchi, by the way, can be made with all kinds of different ingredients, not just potato.  I've seen recipes for ricotta gnocchi or for gnocchi with vegetables in them, such as spinach or other greens.  I've even seen corn gnocchi which is very similar to polenta.  Maybe I'll try some of those versions someday. 

When making potato gnocchi, just like when making mashed potatoes, it's good to remember that the more the potatoes get worked, the more gluten forms.  As you know, gluten is what makes the difference, for instance, between cake and bread: it creates the structure.  It's why you have to knead bread dough and why you don't want to knead pie crust dough.  In pasta dough - which is what gnocchi dough is - you want to work it a little, just enough so that the dough holds together, but not too much.  Once the dough comes together, you're done.  There's no magic to it; you are just combining ingredients. 

There's actually no set-in-stone recipe for gnocchi because the amounts will vary based on how starchy the potatoes are or even how humid it is that day, but you can use the amounts below as a general guideline. 

Potato Gnocchi
1 pound russett potatoes
1 egg, beaten
about a cup of flour or more
salt and pepper to taste
2 T each parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, grated (optional)

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.  Boil the potatoes until very tender, peeling either before or after boiling.  Drain and rinse gently.  Allow to cool to room temp.  Mash the potatoes gently until just smooth; don't over-mash.  Add a little water or milk if needed.

Fold a half cup of flour, the egg, cheeses, and salt and pepper into the potatoes.  Add more flour a few spoonfuls at a time just until the dough is not too sticky.  Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead very gently, adding more flour if necessary, just until the dough comes together.  Do not overwork. 

Divide the dough into palm-sized sections; roll sections with your palms against the floured surface to make a long strand.  Cut the strand of dough into half-inch sections.  Roll on a gnocchi paddle or fork to create ridges, if desired.  To cook, boil the gnocchi in a large pot of salted water for a few minutes, until they float.  Scoop them out as they begin to float; sauce and serve.

Here's a tip: As you form the gnocchi, place them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and sprinkled with a little flour. Then when the gnocchi are formed you can cover them and store them in the fridge to cook later, or carry them to the stove to cook right away. You could also place the cookie sheet of gnocchi in the freezer, and when the gnocchi are frozen solid, transfer them to plastic bags and keep in the freezer for later use.

Next time I will talk about a cream sauce I made to go with my gnocchi.  Happy eating!