Gnocchi of Potato with Butter and Cheese

Larry Eiker

Gnocchi (pronounced nee-okkee) are dumplings made from semolina flour, wheat flour, all purpose flour or potatoes. Are you tired of pasta and don't feel like making a risotto? Gnocchi is an All-Italian classic fantastic that is served with all sorts of sauces, from the richest winter meat sauce to a simple summer tomato sauce.

In Italy they are often called topini (field mice), because the home made ones vaguely resemble mice in size and shape. So outside of Italy or even in Italy be sure to order gnocchi not topini.

There are lots of recipe for this traditional dish. Look on the internet at www.colavita.com to view over 1000 recipes and look into the Silver Spoon Italian Cookbook, you can find 10 pages of recipes.

This simple and interesting recipe is

made as follows:

1 ¼ pounds, mealy potatoes, peeled

2 large egg yolks

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly ground Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

About 1 ¾ cups flour

A pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Bake in a microwave over at high power for 10 minutes, then flip the potatoes and microwave for 5 minutes longer. Transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can bake the potatoes in the oven for about 1 ½ hours, or until tinder. (An additional comment is that in making gnocchi you should or could steam the potatoes for 25 minutes but never boil them, so that the gnocchi are lighter and at the same time, tastier and firmer.) In either case, the potatoes must always be mashed with a potato masher or a ricer while they are still hot.

2. Half the potatoes. Scoop the flesh into a ricer and rice the potatoes. Transfer 2 slightly packed cups of riced potatoes to a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the ½ cup of flour, stir until a stiff dough forms. How much flour depends upon how moist the potatoes are to be able to knead the dough gently until smooth but slightly sticky. Too much flour will make them hard and to little flour the gnocchi will disintegrate while cooking.

3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and dust with flour. One a floured surface cut the dough into 4 pieces, rolling each into a ¼ inch thick rope the size of your finger. Cut the ropes into ¾ inch pieces. Roll each piece against the tines of a fork to make ridges; transfer to the baking sheet.

4. In a large, deep skillet of simmering lightly salted water to prevent them disintegrating, cook the gnocchi a few at a time until they rise to the surface, then simmer for 2 minutes longer. Lift them out of the water gradually with a slotted spoon... In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Notes:

Sauces for Gnocchi are varied such as a Brown Butter and Sage Sauce, or a Parmigiano-Reggiano Cream Sauce. You can make ahead and put the uncooked gnocchi pieces in a re-sealable plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Boil with out defrosting.

When you want a change, think Gnocchi. Have a Happy.

Larry Eiker is a Kennett resident who enjoys

traveling all over the world and experiencing great food, while bringing some of those ideas back home to the

Bootheel to share with others.