PrintGnocchi
i'm thinking of tackling gnocchi. here are some questions:
do i really need a potato ricer, or can i use a food mill?
what kind of flour is best? what kind of potato?
what sauce is best?
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22 Comments:
I too am fascinated and intimitated by gnocci. Love to eat it, afraid to make it, haha! I support the question, but I have no advice to offer. I hope someone else can serve up some insight!
erinlovestoeat at 11:45PM on 12/13/07
Go for it! Gnocchi are fun to make -- a *great* social eating event where your guests can participate in making & sharing food. To me, that is the best kind of dinner party.
A ricer is good investment. Not too pricey and creates good fluffy, dry potato that cools quickly. I make them with all-purpose flour. A good tomato sauce is a start. A creamy gorgonzola sauce is one of my husband's favorites. Make them with squash or pumpkin and serve with brown butter & sage. Pan fry leftover gnocchi ... the original Tater Tot! Goes nicely with braised lamb shanks. For Thanksgiving I made Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Cider Sauce (from Food & Wine mag) ... yum!
Lidia Bastianich's recipe is can be found here.
kjgibson at 12:36AM on 12/14/07
If you have a food mill, by all means use it. The difference between a food mill and a ricer is that the food mill will agitate the potatoes a little bit more but if you use a gentle hand, it may not matter. A potato ricer is fail safe. My BF is a fan of "smashed" potatoes so he was a hard sell on a ricer but was amazed at the results.
To answer your questions... Regular A/P flour is best. Use russet potatoes (NOT waxy) When you master russet potatoes, you can try with baked sweet potatoes or pumpkin!
I'm a fan of instant total gratification when I can get it so I boil my potatoes (vs. baking) after cutting them in cubes. It takes much less time and is just as effective. VERY IMPORTANT - you must let the potatoes drain well in a colander, up to ten minutes, to dry out.
Gnocchi are very adaptable to sauces. They can stand up to a good ragu but are just as at home in a sage browned butter sauce.
I know there is a philosophy out there about "pillowy" gnocchi but I like mine to have just a tad more "heft" to them. Pillowy gnocchi are nice but they're very delicate. The best gnocchi I ever had were made by an 86 year old Italian Immigrant neighbor and they were not the poofy pillows of today.
My favorite gnocchi recipe is by Todd English and appears in the compilation book The Making Of A Chef. I found it online in conjunction with a lobster preparation! Print that gnocchi recipe! It's a keeper. (Never tried the lobster preparation.)
I've used roasted garlic (mix in with potatoes, then rice the potatoes), and saffron to flavor the gnocchi.
I'm not as fond of ricotta gnocchi or gnocchi Romana (polenta gnocchi) as I am of potato gnocchi.
All you gnocchi-phobes out there...Get over it and dive in! :D
chiff0nade at 6:22AM on 12/14/07
I prefer gnocchi verde, made with spinach and ricotta and make it quite often. It's pretty easy.
grampart at 8:43AM on 12/14/07
Gnocchi!
djacobs at 10:00AM on 12/14/07
I've made gnocchi with leftover mashed sweet potatoes. I toss them with melted butter, a little nutmeg, and some grated cheese. I put the the dish in the oven to warm up. My family devours them!
Library Lady at 10:16AM on 12/14/07
My first attempt was not a great success, and I have to try again soon. I will say that I used two types of potatoes (for two batches the same night) - a yellow one (Yukon, I think) and a purple one from my garden and the purple ones are just so cool looking that it kind of makes up for less than stellar taste. Naturally colorful food is cool!
Peasantwench at 11:37AM on 12/14/07
A floury potato such as Russetts are best for gnocchi. Waxy potatoes, like Yukons, have less starch and the gnocchi will be gummier, and may break up when you cook them.
kjgibson at 11:51AM on 12/14/07
Hi! You actually don't need any of those things! I found an AMAZING recipe on Smitten Kitchen that calls for grating the potatoes after you've cooked them, it's super easy and works miraculously. You can look at the pictures and recipe here if you like: http://twofatals.blogspot.com/2007/12/gnocchi.html
AlannaK at 11:52AM on 12/14/07
The Two Fat Al's recipe is an awesome and easy recipe for Gnocchi, I'm glad someone else out htere knows about it too :)
We like a creamy sauce with Gorgonzola with walnuts or a good homemade garlicky Pesto.
We've done the sage and brown butter on regular Gnocchi and it was very nice, but I did finish it with shaved black truffles and white truffle oil... that might have kicked it up a notch. I'll have to try butternut squash Gnocchi now as that sounds divine!
I wonder if you could make Gnocchi out of Sweet Potatoes or Yam.... hmmm the holiday possibilities are there :)
kcline at 2:59PM on 12/14/07
As people have said already, floury potatoes are critical. Dryness is important if you want to avoid making the little bombs bad gnocchi can become. Use regular flour, not bread flour, which is too strong for gnocchi. I like to add odd flours such as chestnut or chickpea or farro for a nice touch.
Roast your potatoes in their jackets, then let cool in a colander. But, you need to peel and push them through a ricer or food mill (I use a food mill) while they are still hot. It's important.
Once you've made the gnocchi, drop them into boiling, very salty water, until they surface, then dump them into an ice bath to stop them cooking. You can then arrange them on a cookie sheet to eat later, or freeze on the cookie sheet until solid. Then put them in a freezer bag. If you have a vaccuum sealer, use it - your gnocchi will last up to 4 months in it...
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 3:49PM on 12/14/07
Just made a recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi with Walnut Cream Sauce and Balsamic Reduction. Great cold weather dish.
ExpatChef at 4:44PM on 12/14/07
awesome beet gnocchi recipe
seyo at 6:41PM on 12/14/07
"Once you've made the gnocchi, drop them into boiling, very salty water, until they surface, then dump them into an ice bath to stop them cooking. You can then arrange them on a cookie sheet to eat later"
uh, or you could just slather them with your favorite fats/sauces/cheeses and eat them right away :)
seyo at 6:43PM on 12/14/07
In fact, I just ate the most delicious gnocchi last night at a little enoteca outside of Florence. They were served in a rich but not too thick cheese sauce. It had the tang and bite of gorgonzola, but I think it was thinned with some cream. So, so amazing, especially when paired with an assertive red wine that can stand up to the cheese. Then again, when I made gnocchi several years ago, I just topped them with a thin, simple tomato sauce. It was a different sort of experience - the dumplings tasted less sensuous but were still very pleasing.
emmab at 7:07PM on 12/14/07
I've actually never used the either (but then again, I've only made gnocchi twice). One of my best friends from college showed me how to make them this past summer on vacation. It's a time-consuming process, no matter how you do it, but it's DEFINITELY worth the effort. =)
kfarrel3 at 7:07PM on 12/14/07
I don't boil the water furiously or they blow apart (like ravioli). They should actually poach in liberally salted water. They'll still float to the top when done.
chiff0nade at 7:26PM on 12/14/07
Ah, good catch, chiff0nade! Forgot about that. You are right.
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 8:36PM on 12/14/07
i love the idea of grating the potatoes. just like for latkes! thanks everybody. will report back soon.
cybercita at 1:19AM on 12/15/07
Hunter - after my first pot of glue, I'll never forget it! :D
chiff0nade at 5:50PM on 12/15/07
Love gnocchi with alfredo sauce.
niceflamingo at 7:47PM on 12/16/07
Gnocchi seems to be the topic of discussion all over the boards. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be one of those "2008" foods listed on someone's top list...
I made gnocchi using Todd English's recipe - link above. If you'd like to see how they turned out, go to my blog and click Gnocchi for Big Bear.
I must say, having not prepared them for so many years, I thought I might be rusty. My hands had total recall and I could sense when that dough came together - I knew I was home free.
chiff0nade at 12:20PM on 01/14/08