Growing up in Indiana, I have to admit, I did not eat much Italian food. Our community was full of people of German or Irish heritage, so I guess the closest thing we had was Chef Boy-ar-dee, whom I adored (BTW). The occasional pizza or spaghetti was about as Italiano as we were. So imagine my surprise as a new college graduate, my first business trip to New York City (!), a colleague gushed over a particular restaurant’s “Nyo-key.” I looked over the menu. Nope. No Nyokey tonight, whatever that is – I was too embarrassed to ask.
Flash forward a few months to the point where I didn’t mind asking a few questions. “What is this g-NOCH-ee on the menu?” When I heard it was not only the elusive NYO-key but was a pasta made with potatoes, of all things, I decided to pass. What was I thinking? Seriously, WAS I thinking?
I’ve since learned that gnocchi is a word that means “pillows of love”. Just kidding, it actually comes from the Italian word nocca, which means “knuckle.” So knuckles of love then. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? Gnocchi are light, tender, almost dumpling-like pasta that are delicious as a main dish or a side. Although you can buy them already made, making them is pretty easy and they are so yummy and versatile you can make them the way you like. Substitute sweet potatoes for russets. Use Pecorino or Ricotta instead of Parmesan. Add some nutmeg. Not bad idea in that bunch.
Our homemade Gnocchi recipe is from Michael Chiarello. It uses baked russet potatoes, which are then shredded with a ricer or grated with a box grater. To these, flour, egg yolks, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper are added. Mix it all together and cut into pillows. The key to creating light and tender gnocchi is to handle the ingredients as little as possible. No kneading is necessary. Just roll the dough into ropes, cut and score with the tines of a fork. Drop in boiling water and serve with your favorite sauce. Pillows of love!
Enjoy!
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
This recipe is from Michael Chiarello, as seen on Food Network. We doubled the recipe, as we had 6 people to serve. Feel free to cut it in half for 4 servings. We made a sauce quick sauce by melting 4 T butter, and adding chopped basil and a bit of chopped parsley. Topped with...
Ingredients
- 2 lb Russet potatoes
- 7 Egg yolks
- 1 c Freshly grated Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
- 2 c AP flour, plus more for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Bake on tray for 45-60 minutes, until they seem a bit overdone. Let cool until you can hold them without burning your hands.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop flesh and press through a ricer, or grate using a box grater. (You can discard skins or save for another use.) Grate or rice them directly onto the counter or where you will prepare the gnocchi dough. You should have around 4 c of shredded potatoes. Make a well in the middle of the mounded potatoes. Into the well, place the yolks, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands. Sprinkle a cup of the flour over the potatoes, pressing it in with your knuckles. At this point, you don't want to knead the dough, just press the flour into the potato mixture with your knuckles. You can fold the dough over onto itself and press down.
- Use the remaining cup of flour, sprinkling little by little, until the dough feels firm, but gives using slight pressure. You should be able to form a bit of the dough into a 1/2" diameter "rope", and it will hold together. If the dough begins to feel dry, add a little water, Tablespoon at a time, until it no longer is dry. Or, if your rope does not hold together, add a little more flour. We used approximately 1 1/2 c of the flour, but I think we had slightly more than 4 c of shredded potatoes. Once your rope holds together, you are ready to form the gnocchi.
- Divide dough into 8 sections. On a floured surface, roll each section out into a long 1/2" diameter rope. Cut each rope into 1/2" sections. You can cut them straight or at a slight angle. Then press down using the tines of a fork, onto each gnocchi. This will make indentations that hold the sauce. (Yum!) Sprinkle gnocchi with a layer of flour.
- Place finished gnocchi on a wax- or parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Allow to dry for 1-2 hours, turning over halfway through.
- When ready to cook, bring a large pot to boil with salted water. Salt a little more than you think you should. The water should taste like the sea. Drop gnocchi into the water, and cook about 3-4 minutes, or 90 seconds after they rise to the surface of the water. Remove with a slotted spoon or strainer, shaking of excess water.
- You can sauce them with brown butter or olive oil seasoned with herbs, or any type of tomato sauce or alfredo sauce. Be sure to sprinkle more cheese on top. Parmeggiano-Reggiano is my favorite, but feel free to use any cheese you like!
Looks wonderful, Laura 🙂
Thanks so much, Freda!