Homemade Gnocchi

Gnocchi.  The simplest of all pastas, yet so complicated as well.  You have to get the proportion of flour to potato just right or the whole thing goes in the toilet.   If you can do this, you are golden because that is all you need.  No pasta maker needed...just your two hands.  I have been craving a good gnocchi since the Christmas debacle when my parents forgot to portion out a small bit for me with a meatless sauce.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the dish...and I have wanted it ever since (don't worry I had eggplant parm to fill my plate that day).

Today was the perfect day to get my gnocchi on.   I have the day off from work and daytime TV is awful.  I had flour and was planning a trip to Sherman's for some items.  Local potatoes and eggs were easily obtained.  Three ingredients in the pasta and two are local..not bad!  I have made them before and have watched my mom make them growing up as a kid, so I had a good idea.  Yet, I still wanted to find a recipe that gave me the flour/potato ratio.  I went with Mario Batali's recipe.  Why?  His recipe is just like my mom's and nonna's...simple.  Also, I just ate at his restaurant Otto Friday night while in NJ/NYC  and the food was fantastic.  I figured I could not go wrong..

Gnocchi:
(adapted from Mario Batali)

3 russet potatoes
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup flour (for rolling the dough later)
1 egg


Boil potatoes until tender.  I peeled them first, just makes life easier.

Once boiled, mash and place on a clean counter top.  Create a well in the center to add the other ingredients.

Add the 2 cups of flour to the potato.  Keep the well visible.  Add the egg in the middle and use a fork to mix the egg and flour..breaking the egg yolk.  At this point get your hands in there.  Kneed the gently.  Do not over kneed!  Once you feel as though everything is blended together and you have a nice solid dough ball..you are done.  maybe 3-4 minutes.

Shape it into a loaf and cut in about 1 inch strips.  Roll each strip out as shown below. Do not over flour, but use a little bit to prevent sticking.

Cut into cube shapes.  As shown:

To cook: Add to salted boiling water.  They will cook in less than 2 minutes.  Once they flout to the top they are done...

And you have just homemade gnocchi.  They were perfect.  Light but still had a bite.   So easy and only fresh ingredients.  When you buy them in the store frozen you are getting a lot of other preservatives and tons of sodium.  If you have a large enough freezer, you can cover with wax paper and place them in there over night.  If not, toss with olive oil and place in a container.  Store in the fridge for a day or two..no more.

To finish you can mix with a marinara sauce or a pesto.  Tonight, I sauteed a portobello mushroom, shallots, spinach, sage and thyme in a tsp of olive oil.  I added the gnocchi and mixed together.  Topped it with truffle oil...yum!  (Notice the fun plate! Purchase at Sunshine Lucy's, Holland Ave, Somerville)

More snow this week probably means a lot of cooking...stay tuned.