Gnocchi
======= 2023-07-11


Comment: there are several kinds of gnocchi, among them the French one, which consists of a simple choux pastry dough, and another Italian version that uses cornmeal. This is the most traditional Italian version.
The gnocchi deserve their own sauce, for example with tomatoes, even if they accompany a meat that already has its own. Finally, gnocchi are best slightly goldened in a frying pan, baked in a tomato sauce or gratiné before serving. Do not peel the potatoes before cooking them so that they are not full of water. As for the egg, don't use too much of it, it makes the dough sticky. However, add enough flour so that the dough is almost not sticky anymore.
If you use 750 g of potatoes, use 1 egg and a half!

References: recipe gnocchi
        and: recipe for my grandmother's gnochhis

4 people

Ingredients:
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500 grams of potatoes (prefer the starchy varieties)
1 egg
100 g to 150 g of flour (see text)
a pinch of salt
a few gratings of nutmeg (opt)
1 bay leaf (opt)


Preparation:
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Cook the potatoes in fairly salty water (20 g/l) with 1 bay leaf, without peeling them.

Once cooled, peel the potatoes and mashed potato them well in a bowl.
Add the salt and the nutmeg (opt).
Make a well, put the egg in it, and form a dough while incorporating just enough flour so that the dough does not stick anymore.
Mix the dough well to obtain a homogeneous mixture.

Work on a well floured surface.

Cut the dough into small pieces, then roll each piece into a thin roll of ~1 cm in diameter (no more!) and cut into less than 2 cm pieces. The gnocchi will increase slightly in volume when cooked.

They can be fluted by pressing (not too much) each gnocchi on a fork, then close it in a small cylinder.
Place them on a floured surface (or a floured cloth), then cook them in boiling salted water. When they are cooked, they rise to the surface. Cook them 2 to 3 more minute so that they are well cooked inside.

The simplest way to serve them is to make enough sauce (for exemple gorgonzola sauce or tomato sauce) and to warm the gnocchi up in the sauce before serving.