How to make your own gnocchi
We go “easy Italian” in the Indy Style this morning! Laura Wilson, of La Dolce Vita, cooks up some gnocchi! She says it’s so easy to make, ANYONE can do it at home!Gnocchi
1.5 lb Idaho Potatoes
Salt to taste
1 C AP Flour
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
½ C Parmesan
Pinch Nutmeg
Optional: Taleggio Cheese (Hard Italian Cheese)
1. Cook potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by approx 2″. Add salt and bring to gentle boil. Cook until they are easily pierced with fork. The time will depend on the size of the potatoes. Drain and dry them in the empty pot over low heat about 3 minutes. Remove the skins and run through a potato ricer. (A food mill works, but a ricer is better because it does not break the potato into starch as much.)
2. Gather the potatoes into a mound and make a well in the center. They will be warm. Surround the well with half of the flour. Add the egg, egg yolk, Parmesan, ½ t salt, and nutmeg to the well.
3. Mix the ingredients by hand to form soft dough. If necessary, add more flour a little at a time, until dough has good consistency. Make a few test gnocchi, and adjust with seasoning or flour.
4. Roll the dough into 2″ thick ropes. You can make a slit down the center and add the Taleggio cheese. Put the cheese in the center and pinch it shut. You could also add other things.
Cut 1″ long gnocchi and pinch the ends. To make the ridges, toll down the gnocchi board. Once shaped, gnocchi can be reserved on a floured baking sheet, loosely covered and kept in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
5. To cook: fill pot with water 2/3 full. Add salt and bring to boil. Add the gnocchi and cook in a gentle boil until they rise to the surface and are cooked through, about 2-4 minutes, depending on their size. Use a slotted spoon to take them out of the water, as they are too delicate to pour into a colander.
6. Top with your favorite sauce.
Perfect Pesto
Scant 2 cups
3-4 large cloves garlic
1/3 c toasted Pine nuts
1/3 C Parmesan
4 C loosely packed fresh basil
½ t salt
Pinch of pepper
1 C good olive oil
Toast the pine nuts and let cool. Put into food processor with the garlic, and salt. Process until smooth paste. Add the basil. Pulse. Slowly pout in the olive oil while processing. Add cheese.
This is the recipe we always use, which I adapted from many others. We make in huge batches, which you could also when the basil is abundant in the summer. (Easy-Peezy to grow!) This freezes so well, you can have it all winter. Just bring to room temperature. Do not warm this or the cheese will clump it up.
When it stands, the green oil comes to the top. It is good for flavoring all types of things.
To learn more, visit www.ladolcevitaculinary.com.