Potato Gnocchi
A favourite to make with the kids and far easier than making your own traditional pasta!
Gnocchi are little Italian dumplings made from a mixture of potato and flour. Delicious simply tossed in butter and sage, or can be used instead of most pasta types with many sauces. I like them with a simple pomodoro and lots of basil.
It’s super quick to make and no kneading or resting is required. A good tip is to use plenty of semolina when shaping the gnocchi to stop them all sticking together.
Use a potato ricer if possible for mashing the potato. Your gnocchi will be much lighter and fluffier as a result.
Makes enough for 4 people
INGREDIENTS
500g starchy potatoes
150g type ‘00’ pasta flour (or you can use regular plain flour)
1 large free range egg
handful of semolina to stop sticking
METHOD
Peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks and boil until tender
Drain and allow to cool slightly in a sieve to allow excess moisture to evaporate
Rice the potatoes into a large bowl, add the flour and egg and combine with a spoon until it comes together
Tip the mixture onto a worktop and use your hands to make sure it is all nicely combined into a dough. Kneading is not required.
Split your dough ball into 6 pieces and shape each into a long sausage about 1cm in diameter
Add semolina to your work top and cut the dough into small pieces, each about 0.5cm wide. Kids enjoy doing this.
Place the cut gnocchi into a large baking tray with plenty of semolina
You can run a fork over the back of each piece to give a more authentic look. It’s said this will help sauce stick to it better but I’ve never been bothered to do that. Rustic is absolutely fine with me.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the gnocchi in 3-4 batches so as not to overcrowd the pan
They are cooked as soon as they float to the surface - 1-2 minutes
fish the cooked gnocchi out as they rise with a slotted spoon and set aside until they’re all cooked
I tend to have my pan of sauce next to the pasta pot and just tip them straight in
