Consuming Passions - Worldwide Events Managers

Potato gnocchi

Serves: 6

Notes

Gnocchi – Italian dumplings – is a very rewarding Italian dish to make. It’s simple and uses only two basic ingredients, potatoes and flour, plus an egg. Serve them with your favourite pasta sauce, they’re superb and inexpensive to prepare.

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• 250 g plain flour
• 1 egg
• A grating of nutmeg

Method

Put peeled potato pieces in plenty of boiling water and allow to simmer until they’re cooked. (Simmer mind you, no frantic boiling which could make them break up.) Grate in some nutmeg (about 1/2 tsp) Once cooked, drain and mash. (This I do by hand. You could do this in a food processor but I find they lose excess moisture when then they’re mashed by hand and it’s better to have them a bit drier.) Once mashed start adding the flour, stirring all the time… While mixture is still smooth, add an egg. (Although this is not essential, I find it holds the shape of the dumplings better… especially if the potatoes are rather floury). Keep adding flour until mixture is firm enough to mould. Transfer the mixture onto a floured board, And knead. If mixture is sticky, add a little more flour. Roll into sausage shapes. About the thickness of a finger. Cut into neat little shapes about 3 centimetres long. Now shape into the dumplings with a fork. Just press each piece onto the inside edge of the fork and roll off lightly to make little dumplings which look a bit like fists, or chefs’ hats. Boil lightly salted water. Drop in a few dumplings at a time making sure the water remains boiling. Allow the dumplings to float to the surface, and after 20 seconds remove with slotted spoon. They should be cooked. Test by trying one. (If it’s doughy it needs more cooking, if it’s tough it’s overcooked.) Transfer to a warm bowl and when they’re all cooked serve with your favourite sauce.

Note. A general word about potatoes. Don’t worry about buying them with a little bit of dirt left on them, they keep better than potatoes that have been washed and put in plastic bags. Once into the sauce, and I prefer a homemade tomato sauce with a touch of chilli, they may be sprinkled with parmesan cheese and either grilled to crisp the top, or serve as they are… I always serve gnocchi with a green salad.