gnocchi
Gnocchi or gnocchi are a family of pasta prepared either with a mixture of durum wheat flour or soft wheat and potato and poached in water, or a preparation based on durum wheat semolina, usually au gratin with oven with cheese.
What variety of potatoes to choose for making gnocchi?
The secret to successful gnocchi lies in the choice of potatoes. Opt for the Bintje, the Mona Lisa, or even the Manon. These three varieties have the particularity of having a rather floury flesh. It will be a real ally for easily obtaining a dry and starchy puree. Because if your mash is too wet, you will have to add flour to your preparation, which will make your gnocchi pasty.For cooking, we advise you to keep the potatoes whole and unpeeled. The potato starch will thus be preserved and will give a better texture to your gnocchi.
How to prepare homemade gnocchi?
The ingredients for the homemade gnocchi recipe, for 6 people:
1 kg of potatoes
1 whole egg
about 250g of flour
1 pinch of salt
Step 1: cooking the potatoes
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan filled with cold water. Add a little coarse salt and cook them for 25 to 30 minutes until they are tender in the middle.
Hint:
If you have a little time on your hands, you can also bake your potatoes whole on a bed of coarse salt. This cooking will result in an even less moist puree. However, count 45 to 50 min of cooking, at 392°F.Drain the potatoes. Peel them without waiting for them to cool (help yourself with a tea towel). With a potato masher, fork, or food mill, puree them. Let cool in a salad bowl.
Step 2: how to prepare the gnocchi?
Form a hole in the center of the lukewarm purée and place half the flour, the whole egg, and the salt in it.Gnocchi recipe: step-1 - Preparation
Mix the ingredients and add the other half of the flour little by little. Knead until you get a smooth, non-sticky dough.
- Knead the dough with your fingertips
Gnocchi recipe: step-2
- Form a ball
Flour your work plan. Take a little dough and roll it into a sausage about 1cm wide.
Cut the sausages into small sections of about 1 to 2cm.
Step 3: How to roll the gnocchi with a fork?
This step is optional as it has no impact on the taste of the gnocchi. It will simply allow you to give your gnocchi a traditional shape. However, the side sauce will tend to stick better to the gnocchi if they are ridged. On good terms!Roll these sections into a ball between your palms. Take a fork and hold it upside down with the tines glued to the work surface. Take a small piece of dough and place it on top of the teeth.
Place the piece on the fork
Hold the piece of dough and roll it on the fork with your index finger while going down.
Arrange the formed gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.
- Place the gnocchi on a plate
Step 4: How to cook potato gnocchi?
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water boils, add the gnocchi and let them cook until they rise to the surface.Take them out as you go using a skimmer.
4 variations of the traditional gnocchi recipe
The gnocchi recipe is easily adaptable. So, do not hesitate to let your imagination run wild by playing with tastes and colors.Orange gnocchi with sweet potato
With its slightly sweeter taste and orange color, sweet potato gnocchi will appeal to young and old alike.
Trick
The sweet potato is much more moister than the potato. We advise you to make your gnocchi in the following proportion: ¾ of sweet potatoes and ¼ of potatoes. You can also favor cooking in the oven, on a bed of coarse salt. For the rest, proceed in the same way as for the classic gnocchi recipe!Purple gnocchi
With these purple gnocchi, you will make a splash with your guests! For this gnocchi recipe, nothing changes: simply replace the potatoes with the same quantity of vitelotte (potato that has very dark and very thin skin, almost black, its flesh is purple due to its high anthocyanin content).Herb flavored gnocchi
To bring new flavors to your gnocchi, nothing could be simpler. Choose the aromatic herb of your choice (basil, chives, or mint for example) and chop it finely. Then mix it with the mashed potatoes before making your gnocchi.Red gnocchi with tomato
Nothing better for your sun cravings! For this tomato gnocchi recipe, mix 1 tablespoon of tomato puree with mashed potatoes before making the gnocchi.Trick :
Tomato paste being a source of humidity, it is preferable to opt for cooking in the oven on a bed of coarse salt, for your potatoes. You can also add a little flour to your dough if it is too sticky.How to store homemade gnocchi?
Fresh, uncooked gnocchi can be kept for 48 hours in the refrigerator. Leave them flat on a floured baking sheet and cover them with a clean tea towel. You can also freeze your gnocchi by placing them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then place the plate in the freezer. Once the gnocchi is frozen, put them in a freezer bag: you can thaw the quantity you need and cook them directly without thawing them.Take a look at these recipes:
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