fluffy potato pillows for the 11 of you that asked...
First, thank you to my faithful blog readers (all 14 monthly subscribers…you know who you are and I love all of you). A few of you inquired as to how I made this soft, pillowy Italian dumpling of sorts, so below, I’ve shared not only the recipe, but a bit of history surrounding one of my favorite comfort foods…because everyone loves a good backstory, amirite?
Did you know that in Argentinians eat gnocchi (or “noqui”) on the 29th of every month to bring good luck and good fortune in the coming month? It’s thought that if you place money beneath your plate while you consume this dish and then donate that money to charity, you will, in return, experience good luck and good fortune. Just a little gnocchi fun fact for ya!
Now that we know the power of this potato-y pillow puff, let’s get on with why I love it, why you should and how you can make it!
Almost every culture has some sort of dumpling and this delight, Italian in origin might be my favorite of all…for a few reasons:
Gnocchi is seriously easy to make
You only need 4 ingredients (or sometimes 5) to make it and, chances are, you’ve already got them on hand
They’re comforting and tasty…DUH
Here’s what ya need:
8 Yukon Gold Potatoes (you can use almost any old potato, but these make for the tastiest gnocchi, in my humble opinion)
3 cups of All Purpose Flour (+ extra for dusting/rolling)
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Egg
1 cup of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese (optional)
Here’s what ya do:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
While waiting for the water to boil, rinse, peel and cut 8 potatoes into large pieces
Boil potatoes until fork tender (about 20 minutes)
Drain water and allow potatoes to cool (about 20 more minutes)
Put cooled potatoes through a ricer (you can mash them with a fork if you don’t have a ricer) onto a lightly floured surface
Add flour and salt and mix
Once combined, add egg and mix together - this is also where you’ll add the ricotta if you choose (almost like kneading a dough)
Form dough into a loaf and cut into 8 even pieces
Roll each piece out into a long “snake”
Cut each snake into bite size pieces (about 1/2” long) *if you have an Italian Nonna looking over your shoulder, she will yell at you if they’re not all cut to the same size
Roll a fork over each piece (this creates a bit of texture and allows the sauce to stick to the gnocchi)
Place on a floured baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes (you can also freeze these and store for months)
Once chilled, drop gnocchi into boiling water (you’ll know they’re done when they float - usually about 90 seconds to two minutes)
While the gnocchi is boiling, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet
Once the gnocchi is done, drain the water and place into the heated oil to brown on both sides
Add desired sauce (I love a good sage brown butter sauce because I’m a purist - melt some butter, add sage, cook till slightly brown)
Enjoy your gnocchi! (and don’t forget to slip a little cash under your plate!)
