How to Make Gnocchi

Gnocchi (pronounced: "nyo-kee") is a delicious potato-based dumpling. This dish is made by mixing flour, eggs, and potatoes. It's often served with a sauce similar to pasta. Variations can include semolina flour, ricotta cheese, pumpkin, dried potatoes, and spinach. The recipe in this article serves 2-3 people.

- 1 kg of potatoes (choose those that are neither too starchy nor too firm) - 1 egg (optional) - 300g of flour (the flour should be fine; you can use regular flour, but you may need more depending on the potato quantity) - Salt - Pepper

Boil the potatoes. Place whole potatoes with their skins into a large pot and add enough water to completely submerge them. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, adding 3 teaspoons (equivalent to 1 tablespoon) of coarse salt. However, make sure to check the "Caution" section below for additional tips.

Drain the water from the boiled potatoes. Once the potatoes are soft, which usually takes around 20 minutes of boiling, turn off the heat and transfer the potatoes into a colander to drain the water.

Peel the potatoes. To protect your hands, use a towel to hold the potato while peeling it with a knife.

Mash the potatoes. Place the still-hot potatoes into a passatutto – a type of food mill (or a potato ricer). Alternatively, you can grate the potatoes. This method is recommended because the residual heat in the potatoes will help make the gnocchi soft. If you don’t have a passatutto, a potato masher is a suitable substitute.

Add the eggs and flour. Add 2 pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. Crack the eggs into the mixture and stir quickly until the potato's heat cooks the eggs. (Using eggs is optional.) Add 2 handfuls of flour and mix until the flour is fully incorporated into the potato mixture.

Mix the dough. Place the entire batch of potatoes onto a wooden surface and pour the remaining flour on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. After one or two minutes, you'll have a large dough ball. Knead the dough gently. Once the dough becomes smooth and elastic, it's ready.

Shape the gnocchi.

• Dust a flat surface with flour. Take a portion of dough about the size of your fist and roll it into a long, even strand about 3cm thick.
• Work quickly while the dough is still warm, and use a knife to cut the dough into pieces about 2cm long. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up.
• Place the gnocchi on a tray, spacing them apart to prevent them from sticking together.

Boil the water. Fill a large pot with water and add 3 teaspoons of coarse salt. Place the pot on the stove over high heat, cover it, and bring the water to a boil.

Slowly drop the gnocchi pieces into the boiling water. This technique will help prevent the boiling water from splashing onto your hands. Stir gently and cook the gnocchi until the dough is fully cooked.

Wait for the gnocchi to float to the surface of the water. Once the gnocchi floats, it means the dough is cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi, shake off excess water, and transfer them to a tray. Drizzle a bit of oil over the gnocchi and gently shake the tray to coat them evenly.

Mix the gnocchi with your choice of warm sauce. Lastly, you can grate some Pecorino cheese on top. This dish pairs wonderfully with a glass of rosé wine.

• Instead of simply cutting the gnocchi, use your thumb to press each piece of dough onto the back of a fork to create small grooves. These grooves will help hold the sauce and ensure even cooking of the gnocchi.
• For a variation, substitute tomatoes with pumpkin. This will bring a unique flavor and color to the dish, making it more interesting.
• Incorporate cheese into the dough for a richer flavor.
• Cooked gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. If frozen, gnocchi can last up to 3 months. To cook frozen gnocchi, simply boil them for about 6-7 minutes.
• Baked potatoes can also be used. This results in drier potatoes, so less flour is needed. This helps prevent the gnocchi from becoming too firm. It can be tricky to balance the flour and potato ratio, but the result will be soft, chewy gnocchi.
• You can also roll the dough into balls and reshape them to look even more appealing.
• Pre-mashed potatoes can replace whole potatoes, though the gnocchi might turn out a little firmer.
• Another option is to shape the dough into oval balls and gently roll them on a fork to create the perfect gnocchi shape, instead of using a gnocchi maker.

• When boiling potatoes, avoid placing cold potatoes into already boiling water, as the skin will crack, causing the potatoes to become too soft.

• 1 large pot
• 1 passatutto (a type of food mill – if you don’t have one, you can substitute with a potato masher or a grater)
• 1 knife
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 colander
• 1 towel
• 1 large tray or plate
• 1 strainer
• 1 teaspoon