Homemade Gnocchi Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Wash the potatoes, prick them with a fork and place them on a sheet pan. Bake them until very soft, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Resist roasting them at a higher temperature to speed up the process--you want the skin and flesh just inside the skin to become crusty.) Cool them slightly and scoop out the insides. Rice the scooped potato with a ricer, or mash them with a fork. Place them in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth to retain their heat. The potatoes must be used while they are still very warm.
• Beat the eggs and yolk lightly together in a small bowl. Add them to the potatoes along with the flour, rosemary, salt, a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Mix gently with your hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated and the dough is smooth.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface. Lightly knead and add a little more flour if the dough is overly sticky. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, uncovered.
• Roll the dough into thin 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Using a generous amount of flour, press each piece against your thumb tip to make a dent or roll it over the back and off the tip of a floured fork tines to make the traditional ridged shape. Place the finished gnocchi on a lightly floured sheet pan. Cook them as soon as possible in boiling salted water. (For every 5 quarts of water add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.)
• Add the gnocchi to the boiling water. When they rise to the top, let them cook for a minute or two and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain well and toss with butter.

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.

Steps:

• Boil potatoes in their skins. Drain and allow to stand until cool enough to handle. Scrape skin from potato with paring knife. Press them through a potato ricer. Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface and allow to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. gather cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour egg mixture into the potato well. Knead the potato and egg mixture together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require, and the heavier it will become. As you knead, repeatedly rub dough from hands and scrape it from the work surface back into the dough.
• On a flour-dusted surface, dust dough and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Form dough into a rope. Slice rope into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Sprinkle rounds with flour and roll them into balls. Hold the tines of a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tip of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough. At this point, gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen.
• To cook gnocchi, drop into salted boiling water. Cook, stirring gently until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface of the pot.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel the potatoes and chop into equal-sized chunks. Lay a large sheet of kitchen foil on your work surface, pile the potatoes into the middle and arrange the bay leaves on top, if using. Fold the foil over the potatoes, then fold the edges in to seal and create a parcel. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until the potatoes are tender. Or, tip into a heatproof bowl, cover (do not use foil) and cook in the microwave for 10 mins on high. If still firm, microwave in 5-min bursts until tender. While the potatoes are still hot, pass them through a ricer or push through a sieve onto a tray and cool completely. Will keep chilled for up to two days before using.
• Scatter the flour, 10g of cheese, ½ tsp salt and a grating of nutmeg over the potatoes on the tray, then gently tip the egg yolks on top. Gently bring everything together with your hands until you have a uniform dough that resembles crumbly pastry. Knead for about a minute until it just comes together, but don't overwork it. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each one out into a long, finger-thick sausage on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sausage into 1.5-2cm nuggets. The gnocchi can now be cooked, or you can create ridges on them by rolling them over the back of a fork, grater or sushi mat. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on the tray. Will keep frozen for up to three months. First, freeze on the tray until solid, then portion into food bags.
• Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. If cooking all the gnocchi at once, you'll need to do this in three batches, cooking each batch for 2 mins, or until they rise to the surface. (You can also cook them for 3-5 mins from frozen.) Remove to a colander using a slotted spoon. Reserve 150ml of the cooking water, discarding the rest. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat with about ½ tsp cracked black pepper and sizzle until the butter turns a nutty brown. Toss through the gnocchi, remaining cheese and about half of the reserved cooking water, then turn up the heat slightly and toss until the gnocchi is well-coated in a thick, cheesy sauce. You may need to add a little more of the cooking water to loosen. Serve the gnocchi straightaway in warm bowls.

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a large pot of cool salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce a potato. Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm.
• Using a peeler or your fingers, remove the skin from the potatoes. In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes until all lumps are gone. Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and crack an egg into it. Whisk the eggs briefly. Then, using your hands, gently mix it into the potatoes until evenly distributed.
• Put 1 cups of flour onto a clean surface and turn out the potato dough onto it, keeping the remaining ½ cup close by in case you need it. Working quickly and carefully, knead the dough, only incorporating as much flour as you need along the way until the dough loses stickiness and becomes more solid. Slice the dough into 4 parts. Roll out 1 part into a long rope, about 1 inch wide, cutting in half and working with 1 half at a time if the rope is becoming too long. Slice the rope into ½-inch squares and set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• If desired, place a fork on your work surface and slide each gnocchi square from the base of the fork prongs to the top so they make a decorative shape.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi in batches, stirring gently once or twice to ensure they are not sticking. Boil until they float to the surface; after another 15-30 seconds in the water, remove.
• In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and add the sage. Add the gnocchi and toss until lightly golden.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Place mashed potatoes, flour, egg, nutmeg and salt& pepper in a bowl.
• Knead lightly with your fingertips to make a firm but soft dough.
• Divide dough into 4 even-sized pieces and then roll into long sausage shapes on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut the rolls into small 1 inch pieces.
• Press each piece over the back of a fork, pressing lightly with 2 fingers.
• Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to simmering point.
• Drop six to eight gnocchi in water and simmer for 3- 4 minutes, or until they rise to the surface.
• Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Serve with your favourite pasta sauce and parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• Cook potatoes (with their skin on) in boiling water until tender. Allow the cooked potatoes to cool slightly, then carefully peel while holding potato with a kitchen mitt.
• While still hot, puree potatoes through a ricer, food mill, or hand style cheese shredder and shred them into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool completely before proceeding. You can 'flip' the bowl to toss the potatoes to help them cool. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
• Add the cheese, flour, salt, and pepper and toss again by 'flipping' the bowl (similar to sauteeing a pan over a flame).
• Add in the egg and mix by hand to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Briefly knead the dough to incorporate the flour, being careful not to overwork. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and return them to the bowl.
• Working in close proximity to the stove, lightly flour your hands, and have a fork ready. Roll each piece (one at a time) into a long rope, about 1/2-inch in diameter, flouring your hands lightly only if needed. Slice the ropes into pieces 1-inch pieces.
• Holding one piece at a time, gently press and roll the balls of dough against the back tines of a fork so slight indentations are formed (dip the back of the fork tines in flour as needed). Repeat with each piece of dough either keeping the pieces on the counter (or you can drop them right off the fork into the boiling water as you make them).
• Gently drop the gnocchi into boiling water and wait for them to rise to the top. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more then remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Pour sauce over top and serve.

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a skewer but the skins are not split, about 35 minutes. (Alternatively, the potatoes can be baked in a preheated 400°F oven until tender, about 40 minutes.).
• Drain the potatoes and let them stand just until cool enough to handle. (The hotter the potatoes are when they are peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be.) Working quickly and protecting the hand that holds the potatoes with a folded kitchen towel or oven mitt, scrape the skin from the potato with a paring knife. Press the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer. Alternatively, the potatoes can be passed through a food mill fitted with the fine disc, but a ricer makes fluffier potatoes and therefore lighter gnocchi. Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface, without pressing them or compacting them. Let them cool completely.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Gather the cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well. Knead the potato and egg mixtures together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become. As you knead the dough, it will stick to your hands and to the work surface: Repeatedly rub this rough dough from your hands and scrape it with a knife or dough scraper from the work surface back into the dough as you knead.
• Wash and dry your hands. Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with some of the remaining flour. Cut the dough into six equal pieces and set off to one side of the work surface. Place one piece of dough in front of you and pat it into a rough oblong. Using both hands, in a smooth back-and-forth motion and exerting light downward pressure, roll the dough into a rope 1/2 inch thick, flouring the dough if necessary as you roll to keep it from sticking. (When you first begin making gnocchi, until your hands get the feel of the dough, you may find it easier to cut each piece of dough in half to roll it.).
• Slice the ropes into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour and roll each piece quickly between your palms into a rough ball, flouring the dough and your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Hold the tines of a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tips of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling with a deep indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel and continue forming gnocchi from the remaining dough balls. Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough. At this point the gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen.
• To cook gnocchi:Bring six quarts of salted water to a vigorous boil in a large pot over high heat. Drop about half the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook the gnocchi, stirring gently, until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface. (You can cook the gnocchi all at once in two separate pots of boiling water. If you make a double batch of gnocchi, I strongly recommend cooking them in batches in two pots of water.)
• Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon of skimmer, draining them well, and transfer to a wide saucepan with some of the sauce to be used. Cook the remaining gnocchi, if necessary. When all the gnocchi are cooked, proceed according to the directions for saucing and serving in each recipe.
• When saucing gnocchi, remember this tip: If the sauce is too dense or the gnocchi seem too dry, use some of the gnocchi cooking water to thin the sauce and moisten the gnocchi, as you would with pasta dishes.
• To precook gnocchi:Cook the gnocchi as described above, remove them with a skimmer, and spread them out in a baking pan lightly coated with melted butter. When ready to serve, return the gnocchi to a large pot of boiling salted water until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly and sauce and serve according to the particular recipe.
• To freeze gnocchi:It is best to freeze gnocchi uncooked as soon as they are shaped. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on a baking pan and place the pan in a level position in the freezer. Freeze until solid, about 3 hours. Gather the frozen gnocchi into resealable freezer bags. Frozen gnocchi can be stored in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks.
• To cook frozen gnocchi:Frozen gnocchi must be cooked directly from the freezer in plenty of boiling water, or they will stick together. Bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil in each of two large pots. Shake any excess flour from the frozen gnocchi and split them between the two pots, stirring gently as you add them to the boiling water. It is important that the water return to a boil as soon as possible; cover the pots if necessary. Drain the gnocchi as described above and sauce and serve according to the specific recipe.

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.

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.