Veronicas Homemade Gnocchi Italian Potato Dumplings Food

HOMEMADE GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Boil potato and mash.
• Combine potato with eggs and salt and whip until fluffy.
• Add ricotta cheese, butter, Romano cheese and flour.
• Knead until smooth.
• Shape into 1/2" rolls and cut into 1" lengths.
• Make impression with thumb in each piece, then lightly dust with flour.
• Drop into boiling salted water and cook only until they rise to the surface.
• Drain and serve with tomato sauce and grated cheese.
• Note: Before cooking, gnocchi may be flash frozen on a cookie sheet, then place in plastic bag in freezer.

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.

DAIRY FREE HOMEMADE GNOCCHI

Steps:

• 1. Boil potato and mash, then set aside until slightly cooled.
• 2. In a mixing bowl combine mashed potatoes with salt and eggs and mix until creamy.
• 3. Add oil and the non dairy cream cheese, non dairy sour cream and the non dairy cheese. Mix until just blended.
• 4. Add flour and continue mixing until just blended.
• 5. Move mixture to counter and kneed until smooth. (I like to put parchment paper down and kneed it on there).
• 6. Shape dough to a rectangle shape, about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 strips lengthwise. Roll each strip with your hands just slightly. Cut into about 1/2 " to 1 " pieces.
• 7. For each piece make an impression with your thumb, then lightly dust with flour. Turn over and lightly dust with flour. (This recipe makes about 100 gnocchi and we found that 1/3 of the recipe was more than enough for 2 of us. I flash froze the remaining pieces, laying them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and placing them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. When they felt like they were hardening I placed them into two freezer bags for later use and put them back in the freezer.).
• 8. Drop the pieces into boiling salted water and cook until they begin to rise to the top of the surface.
• 9. Drain and serve with plain spaghetti sauce, pesto, a non-dairy alfredo sauce or whatever you'd like.

SPINACH GNOCCHI (POTATO DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and boil in salted water about 20 minutes or until able to mash, then place in a large mixing bowl and well.
• Mash.
• Steam spinach in a couple tbsp water covered about 5 minutes or until wilted, then remove and pat dry with a paper towl.
• Chop spinach into approximately 1/4 inch pieces and then mix into potatoes.
• Add butter, egg, garlic salt, and half of the flour and mix together well.
• Place dough onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Roll dough into about 1 inch thick ropes then cut off 1 inch pieces and roll into a ball.
• With floured hands press the center of each dumpling to form a trough in the middle.
• Allow gnocchi to chill for about an hour, then place in salted boiling water and allow to cook about 5 minutes.
• Drain and serve with tomato sauce.