Gnocchi at Home
Well, having considered them on Wednesday, I thought we should cook them today. Teeny problem - not something I've ever done. I looked around and came on a piece by Michel Roux jr. Never a bad place to start, I thought. His recipe? Take 1 pack of store bought gnocchi. Hmm. Though I did once have a Valvona & Crolla voucher with which I bought some of theirs. Really not bad at all, but we are made of sterner stuff.I have Elizabeth David with me here in Ravenna, but she's annoyingly vague. Make a purée of the cooked potatoes, she writes. As dry as possible. No, we can do better.
For assistance I'm turning to the new Queen of Spuds, Poppy O'Toole. I just know I would love this lady should I ever meet her. I knew that your potatoes have to be as dry as possible. Without seeing her recipe I would have suggested baking them. Her flour proportions are in tune with everything else I've read and I love her addition of a bit of Parmesan. Gnocchi are not that dissimilar to fresh pasta. Don't let your dough dry out (cover with a tea towel) and don't let the individual pieces stick together (flour the board lightly).
You can eat them simply boiled, but I prefer the second cook in the frying pan for a bit of crisp.
*This is one of these recipes where you want to use white pepper, otherwise it will look as though your kitchen was full of small flies, as ours has been today.
Ingredients (serves 2)
250g cooked potato (net weight) scooped from baked. Allow 3 large or 4 medium spuds, something like Maris Piper; 80g 00 or semolina flour (plus extra for dusting); 20g finely grated Parmesan; 1 large egg; s & p (see above*).
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Bake the potatoes in your usual way in oven or air fryer until completely soft. Scoop out the flesh, and push through a fine sieve. A bit cheffy, but it will make a difference.
Combine this with the Parmesan, s & p. and mix well. Chefs will tell you to put this on a board, make a well, and break the egg in the centre. Oh, yeah? And have egg drip all over the place? Do it in a bowl and stir together well. Add half the flour and mix well (hands are best for this). Add the remaining flour and knead until the mixture is no longer sticky.
Lightly dust a wooden board. Divide your dough into four pieces, keeping the rest under a tea towel as I told you not three minutes ago. Roll into a sausage shape and cut into pieces about 2.5cm long. A nonna would be reaching for her gnocchi board. In your case roll them over the back of a fork to make the ridged shape. If you're going to be keeping them for any length of time, make sure they're well dusted and, if possible, not touching.To cook, boil in well salted boiling water. It's a case of fry till they float, which will take just a couple of minutes. hereafter, drain well, then fry in a mixture of butter and a little olive oil for 5 to 6 minutes until crisp and golden.
Serve with sage butter or tomato sauce, or whatever takes your fancy.