Oh gnocchi... I love these little potato dumplings so much, they are tender, filling, and delightfully chewy. Plus they remind me of the homemade gnocchi that I used to order when my family went to Tillie's or Rene's growing up back home in Pittsburgh!
I've made this recipe before a few times. It's so easy and it has always worked out so well. I was really in the mood for some comforting Italian food yesterday and mentioned to Stacie that I could really use some good gnocchi. Stacie wasn't sure she had ever tried it before and...well that was that! A few hours later, we were in my OUTRAGEOUSLY hot apartment making some dinner (seriously, though, I think my air conditioner has given up on me. It was 106 degrees yesterday and there was just nothing we could do but turn on the fans full blast and wait until the sun went down).
Anyway, the gnocchi recipe that we used lets you cheat a little on the homemade part. For traditional gnocchi, you are supposed to boil or bake potatoes and then put them through a ricer or a food mill to create beautiful little puffs of potato. Well, with our tummys a-rumblin' and my food mill sitting back east in my parent's garage somewhere (it didn't make the cut for the cross-country drive, unfortunately) we had no choice but to take a little short-cut. Basically, you can just use dried potato flakes and some water to create the same effect - so wha-lah - after just a moment of boiling some water, we were ready to go!
So, to make the dough, you just mix the potato flakes with the boiling water, add two beaten eggs, and then the three cups of flour along with any spices/herbs you want to use. After a quick assessment of my spice collection, we decided on dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. You just want to mix it until all the ingredients come together in a ball. We made this in my stand mixer (Bertha!) with the dough hook out of convenience, but you could definitely do this by hand, no problem.
After you are done mixing, you'll want to dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into four parts to work with. You should then roll out the dough pieces into long ropes - about 1/2 inch think if you can.
Then, cut each rope into 1/2 inch pieces and roll a fork over each piece to give it some grooves (it helps the sauce stick later on). Don't be discouraged if you can't get the grooves to go all the way around...it doesn't have to be perfect - which is the best part!
However, it can be a little challenging to use a fork because you feel like you might be smushing them instead of giving them texture. It is at times like this when I wish I knew an Italian grandma/pa who could let me use his/her gnocchi board to create some serious grooves.
Right before you are ready to eat, you can throw the gnocchi into a large pot of salted boiling water and let them cook 3-4 minutes until they float and the insides are tender. If you need make these in advance, you can just place them on a cookie sheet so they are not touching each other and put them in the freezer until they are solid and then bag them in a ziploc. No need to defrost, just pop them into the boiling water when you are ready to eat them.
We had our gnocchi with tomato sauce and plenty of parm cheese on top. With a green salad, it makes a very filling and comforting meal! It doesn't matter if this is the first time you've tried it or if it reminds you of family dinners as a child - you'll be happy you made it.
I've made this recipe before a few times. It's so easy and it has always worked out so well. I was really in the mood for some comforting Italian food yesterday and mentioned to Stacie that I could really use some good gnocchi. Stacie wasn't sure she had ever tried it before and...well that was that! A few hours later, we were in my OUTRAGEOUSLY hot apartment making some dinner (seriously, though, I think my air conditioner has given up on me. It was 106 degrees yesterday and there was just nothing we could do but turn on the fans full blast and wait until the sun went down).
So, to make the dough, you just mix the potato flakes with the boiling water, add two beaten eggs, and then the three cups of flour along with any spices/herbs you want to use. After a quick assessment of my spice collection, we decided on dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. You just want to mix it until all the ingredients come together in a ball. We made this in my stand mixer (Bertha!) with the dough hook out of convenience, but you could definitely do this by hand, no problem.
Then, cut each rope into 1/2 inch pieces and roll a fork over each piece to give it some grooves (it helps the sauce stick later on). Don't be discouraged if you can't get the grooves to go all the way around...it doesn't have to be perfect - which is the best part!
However, it can be a little challenging to use a fork because you feel like you might be smushing them instead of giving them texture. It is at times like this when I wish I knew an Italian grandma/pa who could let me use his/her gnocchi board to create some serious grooves.
Right before you are ready to eat, you can throw the gnocchi into a large pot of salted boiling water and let them cook 3-4 minutes until they float and the insides are tender. If you need make these in advance, you can just place them on a cookie sheet so they are not touching each other and put them in the freezer until they are solid and then bag them in a ziploc. No need to defrost, just pop them into the boiling water when you are ready to eat them.
We had our gnocchi with tomato sauce and plenty of parm cheese on top. With a green salad, it makes a very filling and comforting meal! It doesn't matter if this is the first time you've tried it or if it reminds you of family dinners as a child - you'll be happy you made it.
Enjoy!
~ Sarah ~
Quick Homemade Gnocchi
Ingredients:
2 cups mashed potato flakes
2 cups boiling water
2 eggs beaten
3 cups flour
Seasonings to taste: basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano
2 eggs beaten
3 cups flour
Seasonings to taste: basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano
1. Place potato flakes in mixing bowl, stir in the boiling water, then add the egg.
2. Stir in flour and seasonings
3. Use dough hook on the stand mixer to knead until mixture is combined into a ball
4. Divide dough into four parts
5. On lightly floured surface, roll each portion into 1/2 inch think ropes
6. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces and roll each piece of a fork to create ridges
7. Drop gnocchi in small batches into boiling salted water and allow to cook for a few minutes until the gnocchi float and the insides are tender.
8. Serve with red sauce and parm cheese or fry with sage and butter.
2. Stir in flour and seasonings
3. Use dough hook on the stand mixer to knead until mixture is combined into a ball
4. Divide dough into four parts
5. On lightly floured surface, roll each portion into 1/2 inch think ropes
6. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces and roll each piece of a fork to create ridges
7. Drop gnocchi in small batches into boiling salted water and allow to cook for a few minutes until the gnocchi float and the insides are tender.
8. Serve with red sauce and parm cheese or fry with sage and butter.
