Homemade Gnocchi

We had dinner at Foodie’s house on Tuesday and she made homemade gnocchi with caramelized onions and bacon.

Making gnocchi may seem intimidating but it is a relatively simple process…and the result – fresh pasta – is totally worth the extra time. I usually just snip a bag open but perhaps now that I can’t proffer the “I don’t know how excuse” my scissors will have to take a hiatus.

Foodie used the basic gnocchi recipe from the Silver Spoon cookbook. I am excited about the flavor possibilities now that I am enlightened about the gnocchi-making process so please comment if you have some favorites that you’d like to submit to my project! There is a pumpkin gnocchi recipe in the book that I am eager to try.

Basic Potato Gnocchi
2 1/2 lbs of Russet Potatoes (they are starchier and hold together nicely)
1 egg, beaten
1 ¾ cups of flour
Salt to taste

Steam unpeeled, whole potatoes until soft – this will keep moisture from getting into the potato which help the gnocchi to hold together.

When cool enough to handle, remove the skins...

Run each potato through a ricer or food mill.

Make a “well” in the middle of the riced potatoes and pour the beaten egg into the center. Begin to (gingerly) incorporate the potatoes into the egg working from the middle out.

Gradually sprinkle in the flour and salt and knead into a soft, elastic dough – do not over knead.

Break the dough into quartered sections. Roll each section into a long, round strip...

...then cut the strip into 1” pieces. Roll each 1” piece along a fork to form the classic gnocchi pattern and place each on a floured cookie sheet until ready to cook. Boil the gnocchi in salted water until they float to the top. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce. Foodie caramelized onions in bacon fat with a dash of sugar and herbs de provence. Then she added a few cloves of garlic and finished the sauce with a dollop of cream, crisp bacon pieces and fresh chives.

We also had a field green salad with roasted beets, goat cheese and walnuts in the lovely traveling salad bowl and homemade (by Foodie) blood orange sorbet. I will post a very easy roasted beet recipe this weekend…fabulous!