How to make gnocchi from scratch with only three ingredients - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Making gnocchi is a bit like making risotto, especially once you get the hang of it. The dough has just three ingredients — potatoes, flour and salt — and the process of rolling the dough is simple, physical and calming, the culinary equivalent of a martini.

“Don’t bother me, I’m making risotto,” I’ve said more than once. I can say the same about gnocchi.

If you are in a hurry to put a meal on the table, don’t make gnocchi from scratch for the first time. Do it when there’s no reason to hurry.

For the best flavor, find locally grown potatoes, preferably dry farmed. You know where to look: at farm stands, farmers markets and such stores as Oliver’s. If you aren’t sure what type to buy, talk to the farmer. You want a russet, a floury/starchy potato, not a waxy one. Yukon Gold, Hasselback and Kennebec are excellent choices, too.

You can dress gnocchi simply, with butter and a bit of grated cheese or with a simple marinara sauce. Gnocchi are also delicious with sauces typically served with pasta; specific suggestions follow the recipe.

The little potato dumplings known as gnocchi make a wonderful carbonara, that classic Italian dish of bacon, eggs and cheese. For a true version, don’t add cream, as countless recipes suggest. “Carbonara” itself refers to the abundance of black pepper, which resembles coal dust. To be absolutely traditional, look for guanciale instead of bacon; it is made from pork cheeks, not pork belly like bacon is. Add a big green salad alongside and a glass of medium-bodied red wine and you have a delightful fall meal.

Gnocchi Carbonara

Serves 4 to 6

Potato Gnocchi (recipe follows)

6 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch wide crosswise strips

Kosher salt

1 garlic clove, cut in half lengthwise

4 large eggs from pastured hens, at room temperature

6 ounces Pecorino-Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Estero Gold or Vella Dry Jack, freshly grated

Black pepper in a mill, set for coarse grind

1 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

Make the gnocchi but do not cook them yet. Cover them with a tea towel.

Cook the bacon in a heavy pan — cast-iron is ideal — until it is crisp around the edges but still a bit tender. Drain off all but a tablespoon or so of the fat and keep warm over a very low flame.

Warm a large bowl by filling it with warm tap water. Wipe it dry and rub the bottom third of the inside surface with the garlic, using the cut side and pressing it to release the juices. Add the eggs and whisk until very smooth. Fold in the cheese and add 20 to 25 turns of black pepper. Set aside.

Cook the gnocchi as directed and quickly tip them, all at once, into the egg mixture, along with the bacon. Use two soup spoons or serving spoons to gently turn the gnocchi in the egg mixture until they are all evenly coated. Taste, correct for salt and divide among individual soup plates or pasta bowls. Add a turn of pepper and a bit of parsley to each serving and enjoy right away.

Variation: Top each serving with a poached egg and season the egg with salt before finishing with parsley and pepper.

This recipe, adapted from one by the late Marcella Hazan, is simple and easy but requires some patience until you get the hang of flipping the gnocchi off the tines of a fork. If you want to enjoy Gnocchi Carbonara or gnocchi with any other sauce but don’t want to make it yourself, you can find locally made gnocchi from Pasta Etc. in many local markets. Gnocchi have the added benefit of being gluten-free and are a helpful partial substitute when you have guests who don’t eat wheat and you want to make a classic pasta dish. When cooking homemade gnocchi, don’t skimp on the salt in the cooking water; it’s essential for the full flavor of the potatoes to blossom.

Potato Gnocchi

Serves 4 to 6

1½ pounds boiling potatoes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt

Boil the whole, unpeeled potatoes in plenty of water until they are just tender, about 15-30 minutes depending on size. When done, drain them thoroughly and set them on absorbent toweling to cool. When you can handle them, peel them and pass them through a potato ricer or food mill. Do not use a food processor. Place the riced potatoes in a large mixing bowl.

Add the flour, ¼ cup at a time, to the potatoes until they will not take any additional flour, kneading between additions. Add the salt with the first addition of flour. The dough should be smooth, somewhat soft and slightly sticky. With your work surface covered with a sprinkling of flour and with your hands dusted with flour, roll the gnocchi into long cords about ¾-inch in diameter and cut them into ¾ -inch pieces.

Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water and add a generous tablespoon or so of salt. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

Next, take a fork with long, rounded, slim prongs. In one hand, hold the fork sideways, with the prongs parallel to the cutting surface and the concave side facing you. With the other hand, place a dumpling on the inside curve of the fork just below the points of the prongs and press it against the prongs with the tip of the index finger pointing directly at and perpendicular to the fork. While pressing the dumpling with your finger, flip it away from the prong tips and toward the handle of the fork. Don’t drag it, flip it. As it rolls to the base of the prongs, let it drop to the counter. The dumpling will be somewhat crescent-shaped, with ridges on one side formed by the prongs and a deep depression on the other formed by your fingertip.

When done shaping the gnocchi, drop them, about 2 dozen at a time, into the boiling water. In a very short time, about 35 to 45 seconds, they will float to the surface. Let them cook just 8 or 10 seconds more, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a warmed platter. Working quickly, continue until all the gnocchi are cooked. Toss with sauce and enjoy right away.

Sauce Suggestions: Gorgonzola cream sauce, chevre cream sauce, roasted garlic cream sauce or pesto.

Variation: Bake a medium-size beet in the oven until fork tender. Remove from the oven, cool, put through a ricer and add to the potatoes. Increase the amount of flour by ½ to ¾ cup, adding until the dough reaches the proper texture. Serve with Gorgonzola cream sauce or walnut sauce.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “Pasta Classics” (Cooking Club of America). Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.

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How to make gnocchi from scratch with only three ingredients - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
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