Gnocchi

[TimmyBoston]

I love gnocchi. It's one of my favorite foods, but I've never attempted to make it. Anyone have a recipe or tips, tricks or tools of the trade they wish to share?

[ouch]

One of the keys is that the potato be dry. Use a russet rather than a waxy potato, and bake it on a bed of salt to help keep it dry.

Other than that, there are really no measurements. Fluff the potatoes, add an egg and as little flour as possible to hold it together.

[Luc]

I usually make mine with 1 medium size potato. 1 egg, a tablespoon of butter. A bit of nutmeg and I add the flour until it holds together.

Another trick is to make sure that you don't mix it too much. Otherwise it will be tough. When It's ready, I put in a bag, cut a corner, squeeze it out and cut with scissors. I poach them until they float.

[homebrewer]

Both good recommendations above. Dry potatoes and mix as little as possible are both key steps. If you do it right, they should be incredibly tender. Due to this fact, use a slotted spoon or spider to remove them from the poaching water. Don't dump them into a colander like you would pasta, or you may end up with a sink full of glue instead of a bowl full of delicious gnocchi.

[holiday]

Try poaching them quickly then cooling them. You can saute them in butter till they brown a little, I think it makes them even more delicious.
Also Parisienne gnocchi is made with choux pastry then you do what Luc said with the piping bag. You can add Dijon mustard and fresh chopped herbs to the choux mix, then do the saute thing. I prefer these as they are lighter in texture.
A nice sauce with the gnocchi is braised oxtail with confit tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Just braise the oxtail with a mirapoix of vegetables, bouquet garni, good stock, red wine and a little tomato paste slowly for a few hours. Pull the meat from the bone strain and reduce the sauce. Saute the gnocchi, add the meat and sauce, grate over the cheese and garnish with confit tomatoes and a drizzle of good olive oil.

[Dubbya]

I usually make mine with 1 medium size potato. 1 egg, a tablespoon of butter. A bit of nutmeg and I add the flour until it holds together.

Another trick is to make sure that you don't mix it too much. Otherwise it will be tough. When It's ready, I put in a bag, cut a corner, squeeze it out and cut with scissors. I poach them until they float.

The only thing I would add is not to overwork the potato when mashing it. It gets all rubbery. Just mash it until there's no major lumps. That and garlic. Garlic and maybe flat leaf parsley.

[BobS]

Toys are a good thing! and a potato ricer is a nice toy for helping make gnocchi!

Here is an extended description that I found useful to get started.

Note: There are also some darn good recipes that just use eggs and ricotta cheese, but I prefer the potato recipes.

Scant 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (2 large russets)
1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
scant 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
fine grain sea salt

Bring salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes (in their skins) until tender throughout, this takes roughly 40-50 minutes. You can also bake them, but I have not found that necessary.

Peel each potato as soon as possible after removing from the water (without burning yourself) - I've found a paring knife comes in handy here. Be mindful that you want to work relatively quickly so you can mash the potatoes when they are hot. To do this you can either push the potatoes through a ricer or deconstruct them one at a time on the cutting board using the tines of a fork - mash isn't quite the right term here. Run the fork down the sides of the peeled potato creating a nice, fluffy potato base to work with. Don't over-mash - you are simply after an even consistency with no noticeable lumps.

Let the potatoes cool spread out across the cutting board - ten or fifteen minutes. Long enough that the egg won't cook when it is incorporated into the potatoes. When you are ready, pull the potatoes into a soft mound - drizzle with the beaten egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour across the top. I've found that a metal spatula or large pastry scraper are both great utensils to use to incorporate the flour and eggs into the potatoes with the egg incorporated throughout - you can see the hint of yellow from the yolk. Scrape underneath and fold, scrape and fold until the mixture is a light crumble.

Very gently, with a feathery touch knead the dough. This is also the point you can add more flour (a sprinkle at a time) if the dough is too tacky. I usually end up using most of the remaining 1/4 cup flour, but it all depends on the potatoes, the flour, the time of year, the weather, and whether the Noach gods are smiling on you. The dough should be moist but not sticky. It should feel almost billowy.

Cut it into 8 pieces. Now gently roll each 1/8th of dough into a snake-shaped log, roughly the thickness of your thumb. Use a knife to cut pieces every 3/4-inch. Dust with a bit more flour.

I do not bother to shape the nocchi against the tines of a fork, but this is how to do it if you wish.

To shape the Noach hold a fork in one hand and place a Noach pillow against the tines of the fork, cut ends out. With confidence and an assertive (but light) touch, use your thumb and press in and down the length of the fork. The Noach should curl into a slight "C" shape, their backs will capture the impression of the tines as tiny ridges (good for catching sauce later). Set each Noach aside, dust with a bit more flour if needed, until you are ready to boil them. This step takes some practice, don't get discouraged, once you get the hang of it it's easy.

I place the cut gnocchi on a clean kitchen towel until ready to use.

Now that you are on the final stretch, either reheat your potato water or start with a fresh pot (salted), and bring to a boil. Cook the Noach in batches by dropping them into the boiling water roughly twenty at a time. They will let you know when they are cooked because they will pop back up to the top. Fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon ten seconds or so after they've surfaced. Have a large platter ready with a generous swirl of whatever sauce or favorite pesto you'll be serving on the Noach. Place the Noach on the platter. Continue cooking in batches until all the Noach are done. Gently toss with more sauce or pesto (don't overdo it, it should be a light dressing), and serve immediately, family-style with a drizzle of good olive oil on top.

[Obsessed]

There's nothing like a plate of good gnocci!

Sadly, there's also nothing like a plate of bad gnocci, so I don't think I'll risk trying ito make it myself until I'm much more proficient in the kitchen.

[DogHair]

My grandmother (Italian) always made them with ricotta instead of potatoes. Still excellent but not as heavy. A big meal of gnocchi can make it hard to get up from the table. I'll need to dig up her recipe, it's been a while.

[ChrisG]

For good Gnocci check out Giacomos or Dante Restaurant in Cambridge.

[Carlin]

How do I make a tomatto confit? I thought confit means to "cook in its own fat." I'm pretty sure theres not enough fat in tomatoes to do that?

[Luc]

You know what? It's the morning right now, I didn't have brekkie yet and I want Gnocchi!

[professorchaos]

I love Gnocchi! Especially sauteed in brown butter with a little fresh sage.

[holiday]

How do I make a tomatto confit? I thought confit means to "cook in its own fat." I'm pretty sure theres not enough fat in tomatoes to do that?


Yeah confit generally refers to meat cooked in fat such as duck legs. But in French it means preserved. To confit tomatoes just cut them in half, season them with salt, pepper and thyme. Lay them on a tray cut side up, pour a good bit of olive oil over them(they don't need to be completely covered). Cook them on a very low heat for around 4 hours or longer if possible. The pilot light in an oven works well. Then store them in the oil until needed. They are delicious and versatile.
You can skin the tomatoes first or skin and seed them to make them more refined. But they are fine with the skin if your using them at home.

[Argonaut]

Gnocchi in puttanesca (sp??) sauce will put hair on you a Derby can't cut!

[Carlin]

Yeah confit generally refers to meat cooked in fat such as duck legs. But in French it means preserved. To confit tomatoes just cut them in half, season them with salt, pepper and thyme. Lay them on a tray cut side up, pour a good bit of olive oil over them(they don't need to be completely covered). Cook them on a very low heat for around 4 hours or longer if possible. The pilot light in an oven works well. Then store them in the oil until needed. They are delicious and versatile.
You can skin the tomatoes first or skin and seed them to make them more refined. But they are fine with the skin if your using them at home.

thanks, ill hae to try it one day.


BTW Back on topic, Go ahead and make your own, its super easy and pretty hard to mess up. just remember to use a good starchy potato bake it (bakedp otatoes also make for freaking awesome mashed taters)

[BobS]

All the talk about gnocchi made me hungry for some, so today was as good a day as any.....

I made some fresh gnocchi and finished them with browned butter and sage and then added some grilled shrimp with garlic.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Gnocchowithsagebutter.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Shrimponthegrill.jpg

I finished dinner with some Glenmorangie, finished in a Port Cask. All in all it was pretty darn good!!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09GlenmorangiefinishedinPort.jpg

Here are a couple of pictures of the process.

Here are the boiled russet potatoes after they were passed through my ricer.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Potatoesthroughthericer.jpg

Once you make the gnocchi, you need to put them on a clean kitchen towel, until you are ready to cook them.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08011-09Rawgnocchi.jpg

[thunderball]

Though my wife can make some mean gnocchi, I usually wuss out and just get the stuff they sell at Costco (Oh the humanity! :tongue:). Tossed around with my special olive oil, parmesan, and basil sauce and it's heaven. :biggrin:

[DogHair]

All the talk about gnocchi made me hungry for some, so today was as good a day as any.....

I made some fresh gnocchi and finished them with browned butter and sage and then added some grilled shrimp with garlic.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Gnocchowithsagebutter.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Shrimponthegrill.jpg

I finished dinner with some Glenmorangie, finished in a Port Cask. All in all it was pretty darn good!!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09GlenmorangiefinishedinPort.jpg

Here are a couple of pictures of the process.

Here are the boiled russet potatoes after they were passed through my ricer.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Potatoesthroughthericer.jpg

Once you make the gnocchi, you need to put them on a clean kitchen towel, until you are ready to cook them.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08011-09Rawgnocchi.jpg

Outstanding!! Along with the gnocchi I'm a huge fan of the Port Casked Glenmorangie. But.... my bottle is still half full. :biggrin1:

[Kouros]

After shaping the gnocchi I gently roll each one down the tines of a fork. This gives the gnocchi an indentation which helps them to better hold on to the condiment of your choice.

[MacArthur Mike]

Gentlemen, I found this recipe in Bon Appetit some years back and I have been making it ever since. It has been a hit at our table for the holidays a few years now, and I can't wait to make it again this year! Enjoy...

Sweet POTATO GNOCCHI WITH BROWN BUTTER AND SAGE
2 1-pound red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork

1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish
Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.

Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.

[BobS]

Mike,

That sounds really good. I'll bet it would be a great side dish for ham.

[Aevum]

some people add spinach or tomato paste to the mix to give them more flavour and colour, but i like mine plain, with some parmesan and butter, or pesto,

or you could take some olive oil fry slices of garlic and once the garlic is a bit browned, toss in a couple of shrimp, use the whole oil as the sauce,

[TimmyBoston]

One of the keys is that the potato be dry. Use a russet rather than a waxy potato, and bake it on a bed of salt to help keep it dry.

Other than that, there are really no measurements. Fluff the potatoes, add an egg and as little flour as possible to hold it together.

What do you mean by fluff the potatoes?

No jokes, Jay.:scared:

[BobS]

About fluffing the potatoes: I use a ricer and the potatoes come out nice and loose -- a large volume relative to the cooked potatoes.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/SmartRM/08-11-09Potatoesthroughthericer.jpg

The description for deconstructing the potato (their word) is: ...you can either push the potatoes through a ricer or deconstruct them one at a time on the cutting board using the tines of a fork - mash isn't quite the right term here. Run the fork down the sides of the peeled potato creating a nice, fluffy potato base to work with. Don't over-mash - you are simply after an even consistency with no noticeable lumps.