Handmade Gnocci Dumplings Food

GNOCCHI I

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.
• Combine 1 cup mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.

POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

VERONICA'S HOMEMADE GNOCCHI (ITALIAN POTATO DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• IN LARGE KETTLE, bring the water and oil to a boil.
• Remove from burner and add the 2 boxes of instant potatoes (make it like you are making mashed potatoes).
• Let it cool for about 4 hours.
• In a large bowl combine the flour and grated cheese (mix well).
• Add the slightly beaten egg yolks and cold mashed potato mixture.
• Mix and knead and knead and knead& then knead some more (It will seem like it will never come together, but do not add anything else- just keep kneadin until it becomes nice and smooth) When nice and smooth, cut the dough into sections (don't make the pieces too big or too small) Roll out each piece into a rope (about 1" thick) (do not use any flour when you are making the ropes).
• Cut the rope into 1" pieces or smaller.
• Sprinkle flour over the little pieces.
• Using a cheese grater that has been floured real good, roll each 1" inch piece with your finger to form your gnocchi.
• (HINT: USE THE SMALL HOLE SIDE AND ROLL LIGHTLY WITH FINGER TO GET THE SHAPE. IF YOU PRESS DOWN TOO HARD, YOU WILL END UP POKING A HOLE THROUGH THE DOUGH. IF THAT HAPPENS, MUSH THE PIECE BACK TOGETHER AND ROLL AGAIN).
• They will sorta look like a crocheted hat without a rim when you are done rolling them.
• Flour your cookie trays and only put one layer of gnocchi's per tray.
• You can freeze them at this point and when they are frozen, throw them all into a plastic bag and keep in the freezer until ready to use.
• When ready to cook them, place them in boiling water.
• When they float to the top of the pan, they are done.
• Drain and put in big pasta bowl.
• Pour your sauce (tomato or pesto) over the top and mix and serve.
• This recipe will serve about 10 to 12 people.
• You might want to cut it in half.

HOMEMADE GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a large saucepan over medium heat with enough water to cover by an inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• When the potatoes are still hot but you are able to handle them, peel off the skins with a paring knife and press the warm potatoes through a ricer in a flat layer on a working surface. Let cool completely.
• Once the potatoes are cool, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Drizzle the beaten egg over the potatoes. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the flour and use your hands (or preferably a bench scraper, if you have one) to mix and knead the dough together. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour as needed until the dough holds together and is only slightly sticky. (A good way to tell if the dough is the right texture is to cut the dough ball in half--the interior should look like cookie dough peppered with small holes throughout.)
• To form the gnocchi, break off a piece of dough and roll into a log about 3/4 inch thick, keeping your hands and counter well floured as you work. Cut crosswise into 3/4-inch segments. Give each piece a quick single roll between your palms to round them slightly. Roll each piece off the back of the floured tines of a fork, pressing with your thumb as you roll down to make a small indentation on one side and ridges from the fork on the other side. Place on a floured baking sheet.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Boil the gnocchi until cooked, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and serve tossed in a sauce of your choosing. Garnish with Parmesan and basil.

HANDMADE GNOCCI DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Bake (or boil) potato and mash.
• Pour flour into a bowl and add mashed potato.
• Whisk an egg and add to the mixture.
• Add spices and make sure the mix is smooth (can use an electric mixer).
• If needed, add a bit more flour.
• Roll dough into a sausage shape and cut into 1 inch pieces.
• Put back of fork into each piece.
• Boil a pot of water with salt and drop pieces in (6-8 at a time). They are done when they rise to the surface.
• Eat immediately with any pasta sauce.

HOMEMADE POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Cook the potatoes and lower them whole in their skins into a pan of salted boiling water, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until just soft. Test with a sharp knife - you should have to push the knife in, it should not slide in easily, otherwise the potatoes will be overcooked and mushy and will have absorbed too much water. Peel them quickly, as the cooler they get, the less fluffy they become.Hold them in a tea towel to peel as they are hot.
• Using a mouli on a medium setting, press the potatoes into a bowl. Pass the potato through the mouli a second time, letting it fall on to the work surface. This second pressing is to make sure that the mixture is lump free, and also lets more air in. If you don't have a mouli, you could use a potato ricer, but only if it has small holes, and you may need to push the potatoes through three times to get the right texture.
• Make a hollow in your pile of potatoes, then pour in the egg and sprinkle over some of the flour. Start to blend everything with your hands, adding more flour but as little as you can get away with (you want the flavour of the potato to come through, rather than that of the flour).Work carefully and quickly, as the more you handle the dough, the harder and bouncier it will become. You need the same lightness you would use for pastry.
• You should now have a soft dough that holds together, doesn't feel sticky and can be easily shaped. Before you progress, check the dough by cooking a few gnocchi to see how they perform (see Valentina's tip, right).
• Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll a piece at a time into long, thumb-nail thick cylinders on a lightly floured surface, again working lightly and quickly. As you roll you will also be gently stretching the dough. Keep the surface well floured as you don't want the gnocchi to stick.
• Cut the dough into thumb-nail long lengths. Some people don't bother to shape and pattern them, but just cook them as they are. However, the shaping and patterning gives a hollow on one side and a pattern on the other that enables the sauce to cling better, and also makes each piece recognisable as a gnocco (a single gnocchi).
• Roll the gnocchi in a little flour. Holding them very lightly, form each into a small concave gnocchi shape: hold them against the prongs of the back of a fork, pressing only firmly enough to get the imprint (not so firmly that they go through the prongs), then guide each one so it tumbles away from the fork. Use your thumb as a guide and your fingers to pick and curl the gnocchi up. Spread them on a large board until required.
• Bring a large, deep pot of salted water to the boil. Working with a few at a time (don't cook more than you can cope with at once, see tip, right), drop in the gnocchi and listen for the wonderful kissing noise they make as they go in. Let them cook for 2 minutes, during which time they will bob back up to the surface, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Taste - they should be sofficí e leggeri (soft and light), the gnocchi equivalent of al dente.
• For the tomato sauce, deseed and finely chop the tomatoes. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a frying pan. Rub about 30 sage leaves in your hand to release the flavour, then fry for a few seconds until they darken slightly. Lift out and drain on paper towel. For each person put 20 gnocchi in a bowl and scatter over the tomatoes and sage. Drizzle over a little melted butter, then finish with a grating of black pepper and a sprinkling of finely grated parmesan.