Gnocchi Recipe

This recipe for gnocchi uses potatoes but earlier versions of this dish used semolina flour and eggs. This is another dish that comes from Italy. It has been popular there since the middle ages and similar versions of this dish have become popular in other parts of Europe as well.

It is quite simple to make as it only has three ingredients and it does not require a pasta maker. This is a great way to make fresh pasta that is healthier and tastier than anything that you can find in a store. For this recipe I used the Bolognese Meat Sauce with flat leaf parsley as a garnish.

Ingredients:
3 Russet potatoes
1 tspn kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash potatoes and then pat them dry with a towel.
3. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake them for 1 hour.
4. Remove potatoes from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
5. Using a oven mit and paring knife, peel skin from the potatoes.
6. Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, flake the potatoes so that no large pieces of potato remain.
   
7. Let potatoes cool for another 20 minutes.
8. Pour flour and salt over the flaked potatoes.
9. Using your hand, mix the flour, salt, and potatoes together so that they form a ball of dough.
   
10. Using 1/4 of this dough, form a long rope about 3/4 of an inch in diameter on a well floured counter top. If rope breaks apart as you are rolling it, you may need to add a little flour to the dough.
    
11. Cut the rope into 3/4 inch pieces.
    
12. Roll each piece along the grooves of a fork to give each gnocci texture. This will allow the sauce to adhere to the pasta when it is served.
13. Repeat steps #10 - #12 until you have used all of the dough.
14. Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet and place in a freezer for 1/2 to 1 hour.
15. Remove the gnocchi from the freezer and boil a large pot of water.
16. Place one of the pieces of gnocchi in the pot. After a few minutes, the gnocchi should float to the top. Now that you are sure that the water has reached the proper temperature, you can add enough gnocchi to cover the bottom of the pot.
    
17. As the pieces float to the top, remove them from the pot using a slotted spoon and place them in a colander to drain any off any residual water.
18. Serve the gnocchi in a large bowl, alternating a layer of your favorite pasta sauce with a layer of the gnocchi.
    

Italy