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From the Something Awful forum, Goons With Spoons. Original source lost... Sorry! This recipe is untested.
"Gnocchi is my favorite pasta. I always used to be intimidated trying to make it because I heard it was hard and required lots of experience to do right. One day, I decided to try anyway and I'm glad I did. Homemade Gnocchi is awesome, and I think I've gotten it down to the point where I can share the recipe. I will also share the particular sauce I made with it today."
Ingredients
For the gnocchi
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (use good reggiano if you have, I didnt have any )
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg (optional)
For the Calabrian Tomato Sauce with Sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced (not pictured)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped onions
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Double this for a more spicy sauce
- 8 ounces sweet (mild) Italian sausage, casing removed.
- 1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped with the juice reserved.
- 1/2 cup red wine
Directions
- Gnocchi
- Place the quartered potatoes in a pot and fill with water until all of them are covered. Put this on the stove, cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slower boil.
- While the potatoes are boiling, mix the flour, salt, nutmeg and cheese in a large bowl.
- About 20 minutes later, test one of the potatoes to see if they are fully cooked. To do this, take a fork and stick it in one of the potatoes. If it goes in easily, they are done. Drain the water from the pot and put the pot back on the heat for a few minutes to dry them a bit. Then, dump the potatoes on a few paper towels to absorb any remaining moisture.
- Next, put the potatoes through a potato ricer, or if you dont have one, do it ghetto and just mash them with a large fork. Make sure there are no lumps though. Mash those fuckers good. You want to end up with about 2 1/2 - 2 2/3 well packed cups of mashed potatoes. You may end up with unused potatoes, but I like to boil more than needed in case some pieces were bigger and didn't cook through all the way. Add the potatoes and a beaten egg to the bowl with the flour mixture. NOTE: The egg is optional. Leaving it out will result in lighter, but more delicate gnocchi. Adding the egg makes them a bit chewier and stronger. I like adding the egg. If you are making lots of gnocchi and anticipate leftovers, definitely add the egg.
- Start kneading the mixture with a large fork or whisk, then dig in there and finish it with your hands. As you knead, keep adding flour in small amounts as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. Dont overdo the flour though or the gnocchi will be too chewy. This is what my raw gnocchi ball looked like when kneaded.
- Saran wrap this and put it in the fridge for about an hour. Now is a good time to begin cooking the sauce you are making with this.
- Ok, after the hour in the fridge, tear pieces of the dough and roll them into 1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter strands like below.
- Put a large pot of salted water to boil before proceeding. Now, take a fork and pinch off pieces about 1/2 to 1 inch long. You can shape them any number of ways, but the way I see it done is to roll the gnocchi into oval shaped balls and pressing them gently with the tines of a fork for a ridged pattern.
- NOTE: For your first time, you may want to try testing 2 or 3 gnocchi in the water before pinching all the dough to make sure your dough is the right consistency. If they dont fall apart, and are chewy to the bite, they are good. If they are too soft, or disolve in the water, knead more flour into the dough.
- Once cut, place the gnocchi on a very lightly floured baking sheet, taking care not to let them touch each other. Gnocchi freeze well in case you want to make a bunch of these way ahead of time, just make sure none are touching each other on the sheet or dish before freezing.
- Start cooking the gnocchi in batches. They will initially sink to the bottom of the pot but once they float they are done and should be removed from the water immediately. It should take only 2-4 minutes for them to cook. Remove them with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and cook the next batch in the same water. While the rest are cooking, place the cooked gnocchi in a bowl and toss with a small amount of olive oil to keep them from sticking. The oil may keep the sauce from sticking to the pasta as well as you'd like, but its better than having a sticky glob of cooked gnocchi all stuck together.
- By now, hopefully your sauce is ready, so just toss the gnocchi with the sauce and you're good to go!
- Note: If you make the version without egg, do not toss them with sauce. They will be too delicate. Instead, just serve with the sauce poured over the top.
- Calabrian Tomato Sauce with Sausage
- Heat up the olive oil in a large pan and place the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes in it for about 2-3 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan and cook thoroughly all the while using a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into very small pieces. While this is cooking, chop your tomatoes and separate them from their juice. Save the juice. Once the sausage is cooked, add the chopped tomatoes and stir them in well. Let cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add the wine now and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, around 2-3 minutes. Then add the juice you saved from the tomatoes. Mix well. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook at a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until it reaches a sauce consistency.
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