Gnocchi

Italian

Author: Bis Nonna

Preparation time: 45 to 60 minutes

Serves 4 people

This is my great-grandmother's recipe for gnocchi. Gnocchi is an Italian winter favourite and while there is a little preparation time, it is a cheap meal that will impress your guests. Serve with your favourite sauce and parmeasan cheese. Any left over gnocchi dough can be frozen and cooked later. for extra zing add half a cup of grated parmeasan cheese to the dough mix. Buonissimi!

Ingredients

• gnocchi

  • 1 kilogram of old potatoes (Desiré potatoes work well)
  • 3 cups of plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup of parmeasan cheese

Preparation

1. Peel, chop and boil potatoes
2. When they are soft, drain the potatoes well and return to the pot to evaporate any excess liquid. It's important that you remove as much water as possible. This helps to give the gnocchi a lighter texture.
3. Mash the potato to a fine pureé and remove and hard pieces if possible.
4. When the potato is comfortable to handle, flour a flat surface and place the mashed potato on top. Add 500 grams of flour, optional cheese, and the salt and and knead to a smooth dough.
5. Separate the dough into portions with floured hands roll the portions into long, even cylinders about one and a half times the thickness of your index finger or about two and a half centimetres, ensuring that the dough doesn't stick to the surface.
6. Using a knife cut the cylinders into small pieces, no more than 3 centimetres long. To add texture and shape you can roll the gnocchi lightly off the back of a fork or cheese grater.
7. Bring some water to the boil and add enough gnocchi to cover one layer of the pot. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, wait about half a minute and remove from the pot. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Uncooked gnocchi can be frozen and cooked later.
8. Dish out gnocchi and add your favourite cheese or sauce. Buen appetito!