Home-made Gnocchi
Gnocchi:
2 lb floury potatoes, unpeeled and pricked with a fork all over
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Bake the pricked potatoes for an hour in a 425F oven. Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then peel and mash or put through a ricer.
Mix in the egg yolks and parmesan cheese, then gradually stir in the flour. When the mixture gets too dry to use a spoon, work with your hands. Once a loose dough forms, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Work in enough extra flour to give a soft, pliable dough that is damp to the touch but not sticky.
Divide the dough into six portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll out on a floured surface to make a rope about 1 1/2 cm thick. Cut the rope into 1 1/2 cm lengths. Repeat this step for the remaining dough.
Once everything has been rolled and cut, put the gnocchi in a floured baking tray and chill in the refrigerator to set for at least 30 minutes. This helps in retaining their shape. It also gives you time to prepare the ingredients for the cheese sauce.
Bring a large pot of salted water into a boil. Add the gnocchi in batches, about 20 at a time. Stir gently and return to the boil. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes, or until they rise to the surface. Remove them with a slotted spoon, drain, put into the pan of hot cheese sauce then toss. Serve with shaved parmesan and freshly grated black pepper.
Cheese Sauce:
3 tbsp grated gorgonzola
3 tbsp grated parmesan
3 tbsp grated ementhal or gruyere
1 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup of whole milk
2 tsp of flour dissolved in the milk
a small bunch of fresh marjoram
2 sprigs of thyme
parmesan for shaving
Put a pan on low heat, add the butter, milk and all the grated cheese and whisk to avoid curdling. Add the herbs and simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking or stirring constantly to avoid curdling. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the stalks of herbs, they've done their job already.
Boun appetito!
I did it!! Taadaaa! Presenting my home-made gnocchi! I felt so proud of myself, lol. I actually managed to finaly make something I really love and the bonus part is it tasted really good. It was pillowy soft, the potatoes managed to hold its flavour despite the addition of flour and parmesan cheese. I took the gnocchi recipe from my cookbook called "The Food of Italy: A Journey for Food Lovers". I altered the recipe a little bit by using 50% all purpose flour and 50% whole wheat bread flour. It didn't make any difference in terms of the texture, I think it even added flavour. I took the idea for the sauce from Jamie Oliver's "Cook with Jamie, My Guide to Making You a Better Cook".
I only took the idea because I didn't have the specific cheese and the specific herb on the book. I also didn't have cream so I had to use whole milk instead. It still turned out really well and I was very happy. After having my very own home-made gnocchi, I don't think I'll be able to go back to the store-bought stuff.
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