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12/30/08

My First Attempt at Making Gnocchi

Sometimes [ok, quite often] I get an idea to do something and obsess about it until I actually do it. Other times, I just obsess and do nothing about it. But this is a food blog, so back to that.

For the longest time I've wanted to make gnocchi. I'm not quite sure why...I've only had them a few times and wasn't head-over-heels in love with them, but wanted to try to make them at home. When I found For the Love of Gnocchi!!! post by Avesta, I decided it was time to make it happen.

I halved Avesta's recipe; below is my version of her gnocchi recipe.

Gnocchi with Semi-Home-Made Tomato Sauce

For the gnocchi
3 potatoes, peeled, quartered
1-2 tablespoons salt
ground pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour

For the tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
a few sprigs of thyme
1 large can of tomato sauce (I used prepared spaghetti sauce with meat)
1/4 cup heavy cream (this is an optional step...I had some cream leftover from making French Yule Log and decided to use it)

Directions
1) In a medium saucepan heat the oil. Add garlic, carrots and thyme, and cook until the vegetables are soft. Remove the thyme sprigs, add tomato sauce, lower the heat and let the sauce simmer.
2) Meanwhile, cook potatoes in the salted water till tender. Drain, put the potatoes through a ricer (Thank you, Anna!) and let them dry out on a cookie sheet.

3) In a large bowl, beat an egg, add potatoes and ground pepper and mix it together.



4) Add the flour to the potato/egg mixture and incorporate it without overworking the dough. (Photos of my hands courtesy of Anna)



5) Divide the dough into manageable chunks, forming each chunk into a log shape and rolling it into 1/2 inch tube on a floured surface. Cut the logs into 1/2 inch pieces. Anna tried to show me how to roll the pieces using a fork, but I decided to go with a rustic look. (Ok, I was just too lazy and was running out of time because I had to go and assist with a cooking class at Sur La Table).



5) While you are bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, add cream to the tomato sauce and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
6) Once the water boils, drop your gnocchi in batches and cook them for only 2-3 minutes. Once they rise to the top, quickly remove them from the pot and drain on a paper towel.


7) I must confess that on their own the gnocchi were slightly flavorless, but once I added the creamy tomato sauce, I rather liked them! Too bad I did not have any cheese. Instead, I sprinkled the entire dish with some fresh thyme.

This recipe made a lot of gnocchi. I ended up freezing some of the uncooked ones on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then moving them to a freezer bag to be enjoyed later.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Ummmm....This looks so good, especially right now, I need to go find something for lunch. I've seen somebody make this, but have never tried myself. It looks delicious!

Anonymous said...

Oh yay! What fun. :D I totally like the making part of cooking better than the eating part sometimes. That said, this sounds delicious!

+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse

Anonymous said...

Very nice.. The last time I tried making gnocchi, I ended up with soup. :(

Anonymous said...

This looks wonderful! I've never made my own gnocchi either. It seems strange, but it's just never come up. You've inspired me, though ;)

Shelby said...

Great job! I have had this in the back of my mind...that I need to try making my own also!

I tried to comment last night but the hotel was having server issues and I kept getting disconnect!

Greg said...

This has been on my list to try for a long time. Yours turned out great!

Maria said...

We made some not too long ago! Yours look great!! I am craving them now. I am glad we have some in the freezer!

gaga said...

Yum, I love gnocchi. I'm glad you're first attempt worked out so well!

test it comm said...

Nice looking gnocchi! Happy new year!

Anonymous said...

It looks like you've been making gnocchi for years! :) Happy new year!

Anonymous said...

Your gnocchi look great! You should try ricotta gnocchi some time. It's not any hard and it taste great.

Anonymous said...

I have never made gnocchi before but I have always wanted too! You have inspired me, I might have this for dinner tonight, off to the store! Thanks for sharing, the gnocchi looks great!

Anonymous said...

Those look great even if they weren't as flavorful as you wanted. I bet if you had some parmesan or romano cheese that would be nice to add to the dough. Thanks for the post, I think I might have to give these a try!

Anonymous said...

Gosh i love gnocchi and I fixed it for my boyfriend "Big Bear" (he weighs 437 pounds -- lol) when I lived in Florida.

But due to a legal problem we had to hurriedly leave and move to Atlanta. As soon as my food coupons start arriving I will go buy some more stuff and try out your method.

thank you

pigpigscorner said...

This is in my to-do list! I really have to try making this one day!

Susan said...

Gnocchi's a little tricky, but not as hard as people make out. Yours looks great.

You're right about the flavor; it is a bit bland, but enough salt and pepper added to the dough helps until you start adding chopped parsley, spinach or basil to it. : )

Happy New Year, Olga!

avesta said...

Yea! Great job! Your gnocchi looks wonderful...especially for your first time! Yes...the gnocchi is a bit bland but most people add sauce or saute them in an olive oil sauce with fresh herbs so that adds the flavor. Thanks for trying out my recipe and visiting my site!

Michelle said...

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