Why purchase ready made gnocchi when it is so easy to make at home? If your ready to make a gnocchi that is perfectly light and melts in your mouth read on!
Basic Potato Gnocchi
This recipe makes 4 generous mains or 8 entrees. Preparation time is 1 1/4 hours ( + 10 mins cooking time).
1.5kg Small even-sized desiree potatoes
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground black pepper
200 grams (11/3 cups) plain flour
Extra flour to dust and melted butter to grease.Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200C. Place the potatoes in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Bake for 55 - 65 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a skewer. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Put on rubber gloves if they are too hot to handle, and use a small knife to peel the potatoes. (Warm potatoes make the smoothest mash).
Step 2: Place the peeled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the salt and season with the pepper, then use a potato masher to mash until the mixture is as smooth as possible (this can take up to 5 minutes). Mashing the potatoes manually is best, as a food processor makes them "gluey".
Step 3: Add the flour and use your hands to mix to a stiff, slightly sticky dough that leaves the side of the bowl. Take care not to overwork the dough or it will become too sticky. The key to a light gnocchi is using just enough flour, so if you have to add more to the dough, you'll never end up with heavier gnocchi, if you find you have overworked your dough, add a small amount of extra flour at a time until it returns to the desired consistency (ie stiff, slightly sticky and leaving the side of the bowl).
Step 4: Cut the dough into 4 even portions. Roll 1 portion on a lightly floured surface into a long sausage about 2cm thick. Use a lightly floured knife to cut the dough into 2cm pieces. You can cut the dough diagonally to give the gnocchi a more attractive shape or shap the gnocchi using the traditional Italian method (described in the next set), if you like. Place on a large tray, board or bench lined with a lightly floured tea towel, making sure the gnocchi don't touch each other. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.
Note: The gnocchi are best cooked within 2 hours of making. If you are not cooking them immediately, sprinkle the gnocchi lightly with flour and set aside at room temperature, covered with a tea towl, for up to 2 hours.Step 5: To make your gnocchi more decorative and help them to hold the sauce, finish in the traditional Italian manner. To do this, lightly flour your ands and roll each piece of dough into a ball. Use your thumb to gently roll each ball over the back of a floured fork.
Step 6: Preheat oven to 120C. A large, shallow saucepan is best for cooking gnocchi - you can use 2 pans for a faster result. Fill the pan with water to a depth of about 5cm. Cover and bring to the boil. Brush a serving dish or plates lightly with melted butter and place in the oven to keep warm.
Cook about 1/4 of the gnocchi at a time. This depends on the pan size - the gnocchi should sit in a single layer on the base of the pan (they may stick together if overcrowded). If your pan is small, you may need to do 6 - 8 batches. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and use a large slotted spoon to remove them when they all rise to the surface. Allow excess water to drip off, then transfer to the warmed serving dish or plates. Cover loosely with foil and return to the oven. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
Pour the sauce you are using over the gnocchi, and serve immediately.
Variations: (based on this potato gnocchi recipe).
Orange Sweet Potato Gnocchi: Replace 1kg of the potatoes with 1kg orange sweet potato (kumara), cut into 5cm chunks, increase the plain flourt to 300g (2 cups). Add a good pinch of nutmeg to the potatoes with the salt and pepper.
Cheese Gnocchi: Add 85 grams (1 1/2 cups) finely grated vintage cheddar cheese to the potatoes with the salt and pepper (refer step 2).
Parmesan & Sliverbeet Gnocchi: Increase the flour to 250 grams (1 2/3 cups). Add 70 grams (1 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese to the potatoes with the salt and pepper (refer step 2). Trim the stems from 1/2 bunch of sliverbeet (approx 9 stems), then wash the leaves well and place in a large frying pan. Cook over high heat, turning often, for 4 - 5 minutes or until they wilt and the pan is dry. Drain. Place between 2 double layers of paper towel and press out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a board and finely chop. Add to the mashed potato with the flour in step 3.
Freezing Uncooked Gnocchi: Place on trays lined with baking paper and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place, uncovered, in the freezer for one hour or until hard. Transfer to a freezer bag in portions, seal, label and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook following Step 6 (frozen gnocchik takes a little longer to rise to the surface - no need to thaw).
