One of my favorite Italian dishes is the humble gnocchi, in no small part because, unlike spaghetti or vermicelli, it involves no extraordinary dexterity in making or eating (though toughness is a risk).
Gnocchi starts with the humble potato, boiled or baked, and forced through a potato ricer. It finishes with egg, salt and just enough flour to make a workable dough. It is then rolled into long logs on a lightly floured surface, which requires a delicate balance. A modest coating of flour will prevent the dough from sticking, but too much will make the dough shift and slide.
The logs are cut into small pieces that are shaped by being pressed against the front of a grater and rolled against the thumb. That does take nimble fingers, so lightly pressing the top of each gnocchi with a fork will do. The little grooves will trap the sauce, coating the gnocchi with a savory glaze.
Drop the gnocchi into lightly salted boiling water and within minutes they will float to the surface, a fail-proof sign they are done. Drain and dress the gnocchi simply with butter and freshly grated Parmesan, creamy Gorgonzola or a light tomato sauce.
In our contemporary world, with our penchant for flashy flavors, the once modest potato gnocchi has been laced with things such as butternut squash. We’ve even discovered a light-as-air golden gnocchi made with semolina flour that’s formed into rough logs on a baking sheet, chilled, sliced and baked. It’s a distinctive departure from tradition and, thankfully, can be eaten with grace by all.
BUTTERNUT GNOCCHI WITH SAGE AND SMOKED CHEESE
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from “Celebrating Italy,” by Carol Field.
1 pound butternut squash
1 1/2 cups flour plus about 2 tablespoons for rolling
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or
Romano cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 egg yolks
5 tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
4 sage leaves, slivered
1/3 cup shaved smoked ricotta or mozzarella
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce squash in several places with paring knife. Put squash on paper towel; place in microwave. Microwave at 100 percent power 2 minutes. Turn squash over; continue cooking at 100 percent power 1 minute. Remove from oven. On cutting board, cut squash in half crosswise, then cut halves in half again lengthwise. Cut squash into about 2-inch chunks; place in large baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil; bake 25-35 minutes, or until tender when pierced. Cool.
2. Remove skin and seeds from squash; press through ricer or grate in food processor using grating disk. (Do not puree.) Measure 2 cups.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, Parmesan, salt, nutmeg, pepper and lemon zest in large bowl. Make well in center of dry ingredients; put squash in center along with egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of the cooled, melted butter. Work dough with your hands until all ingredients are moistened and dough holds together. Divide dough in half; roll both halves on lightly floured surface into cylinders about 1-inch in diameter. Cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
4. Heat large pot of water to boil. Drop 8-10 gnocchi at time into boiling water. Stir well so gnocchi don’t stick to bottom. Cook until gnocchi floats to surface and stays there, about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to plate; continue cooking remaining gnocchi.
5. When all are cooked, pour off any water that has gathered around gnocchi. Transfer to 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over gnocchi; bake 20-25 minutes.
6. Sprinkle top with parsley and slivered sage leaves; lay shaved cheese on top. Place in oven 1 minute to soften cheese.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 295 Fat ………… 15 g Saturated fat .. 9 g
% calories from fat .. 46 Cholesterol .. 140 mg Sodium …… 495 mg
Carbohydrates …… 32 g Protein ……… 8 g Fiber …….. 2.6 g
POTATO GNOCCHI
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
From “Celebrating Italy,” by Carol Field.
Gnocchi:
2 1/4 pounds baking potatoes, about 4 large
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
10 cups water
6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
A few fresh sage leaves, torn
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce potatoes in several places. Bake until tender, about 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly; peel potatoes while still warm.
2. Put potatoes through a ricer into large bowl. Mix in salt, egg and as little flour as possible to make a soft, smooth dough. Roll out logs about width of a finger on lightly floured surface; cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces. To get characteristic shape of gnocchi, hold them between thumb and forefinger and roll them lightly and quickly against front of hand-held grater. Or simply press lightly on top of each with fork.
3. Heat 10 cups water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile melt butter in small, heavy saucepan; wilt sage leaves in it briefly. Hold on low heat. Add gnocchi to boiling water; cook until they rise to top, 1-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to bowl. Add sage butter and Parmesan, mixing gently.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 515 Fat ………… 23 g Saturated fat .. 14 g
% calories from fat .. 39 Cholesterol .. 110 mg Sodium ……. 840 mg
Carbohydrates …… 65 g Protein …….. 14 g Fiber ……… 3.6 g
GOLDEN GNOCCHI
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “Italian Country Table,” by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
2 cups low-fat or regular milk
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semolina flour, see note
3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup freshly grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1. Combine milk, 1 1/4 cups of the broth and salt in 6-quart pot. Heat to simmer. Slowly whisk in semolina; continue whisking until free of lumps. Turn heat to low; cook 10 minutes, stirring often and vigorously. When mixture starts to pull away from bottom of pan, remove from heat.
2. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg yolks, parsley and pepper.
3. Run baking sheet under cold water. With your fingers spread 1 teaspoon olive oil over surface. Turn gnocchi mixture out onto baking sheet; set aside 10 minutes.
4. Run thin spatula or knife under cold water. Cut mixture in half. With wet hands, form 2 cylinders about 2 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches long. Chill 2 hours.
5. Butter 13- by 9-inch baking dish with remaining tablespoon butter. Cut semolina cylinders into 1/2-inch slices; lay in pan. (Gnocchi can be covered and refrigerated for 24 hours at this point.)
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Warm 1/3 cup broth; pour over gnocchi. Bake 25-35 minutes or until golden. Dot with Gorgonzola; heat another minute. Serve hot.
Note: Semolina can often be found in bulk foods section of larger supermarkets.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………. 460 Fat ………. 24 g Sat. fat ……. 14 g
% cal. from fat …. 47 Chol. …… 160 mg Sodium ….. 1,145 mg
Carb. ………… 38 g Protein …… 23 g Fiber ……… 1.8 g
