Two flavours of Gnocchi

I love eating good gnocchi. They just melt in your mouth and are so light and fluffy. They go with so many sauces, and traditionally served as a first course in an Italian meal. I decided to make two flavours today, to use up the rest of the spinach leftover from this dish (yes can you believe it was still as fresh as the day I bought it!), but as I didn’t have quite enough for the whole amount I cheated a little bit and used some sundried tomato pesto for half of the dough.

I took the recipe from my favourite cookbook, The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia by Copalbo, Whiteman Wright & Boggiano. Basically you just take one kilogram of potatoes, boil them until very tender, and mash thoroughly. Drop the mash onto a cup of plain flour, and add whatever flavourings you feel like. Cover with another cup of flour and break an egg into the mix. Start mixing gently, do not overwork the dough. Incorporate enough flour to create a smooth elastic dough. Divide into several pieces and roll on a flat surface, stretching outwards with your hands as you go. Cut into bite sized pieces…

…and press one side onto the prongs of a fork to create little ridges:

They can keep in the fridge for several days like this, or, if you can’t resist, you can cook them straight away.

Gnocchi are great because they tell you when they are cooked. No timer needed! Simply drop into a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water, and wait for them to rise to the surface. Scoop out & serve with your preferred sauce. For these I just wanted something really simple, so I melted some butter with fresh sage leaves, infusing the delicate flavour of the sage into the butter, and tossed into the gnocchi before serving. They are just as delicious plain with a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano, or a pureed tomato & basil sauce.

Whatever way you prepare them, homemade is always so much more satisfying!