Gnocchi

A few weekends ago, I made gnocchi for the first time. I was very happy with the way it turned out, but it was all eaten too quickly! I made more gnocchi this weekend and boiled it. I am going to freeze them so that we have a simple base for dinners in the future. I am assuming they will freeze well, but only time will tell on that one.

This recipe is not overly complicated. Start with 7 ounces of mashed potato (I baking a couple of potatoes, peeled them then mashed them, but the recipe states that you can start with 7 ounces of instant mashed potatoes as well) and add 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix these together, then add about 1 cup of flour. Mix into a dough and then turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead until a cohesive dough is formed. I added quite a bit more flour to make the dough and it took a long time to knead it to a reasonable consistency, but I think it turned out alright in the end. I just need to start with a smaller piece of the dough to knead at one time.

I formed small pieces of the dough into long snakes about the size of my thumb before using a cutter to lop off pieces about 3/4 of an inch long. I pressed the back of a fork into the gnocchi to form ridges and placed on a wax paper lined baking sheet until I had enough to boil. To a large pot of boiling salted water, I added a bunch of the gnocchi. I stirred to make sure none of the pieces were sticking to each other or the bottom and left them until about 1.5 to 2 minutes after they floated to the surface. Using a large slotted spoon, I transferred the gnocchi to another pan. After they all cooled, I placed them in the refrigerator. Tonight, I will put them in the freezer for future use.

I enjoy making gnocchi, and it doesn't seem to be as complicated as you would think. It does take some time though, which is why I made such a large batch this time. It should last through a bunch of dinners for myself and my husband. I am looking forward to trying out different sauces and presentations for the gnocchi in the future.