Home Made Gnocchi

We loooove gnocchi in our house.  I have found a couple of reliable brands that are incredibly tasty, but I've always meant to try my hand at making them from scratch.  I made sweet potato dumplings once before, which were basically gnocchi made with sweet potatoes.    Here is a more traditional potato gnocchi, with hardly any ingredients and not too much skill required.

Once you've made these, you can lay them out on a sheet of wax paper and put them in the freezer (make sure they're not touching one another) until frozen, then put them in a freezer bag to cook later.  (Don't thaw them before cooking.)  Or you can cook them all right away.  I'd recommend lightly sauteeing them after you boil them so they crisp up a bit around the edges - I paired mine with a home made marinara straight after boiling them, and they got a bit mushy.

If you really want them to shine, dress them simply with a little home made pesto after sauteeing, and voila.

Home Made Gnocchi

adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 large russet potato (about 1 pound)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

about 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose is okay too)

DIRECTIONS:

1.   Peel the potato and cut it into evenly sized chunks.  Place in a pot and cover with cold water.  Salt it.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slighly.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potato is very tender.  Drain.

2.  Use a potato ricer, or a masher, to finely mash the potato, eliminating any lumps.  Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add about half the flour and stir.  Your goal is to create a dough that is easy to handle.  Add a little more flour if necessary to achieve a dough-like consistency.  Try not to overdo it on the flour.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface a knead a few times to bring it together.

3.  Break off pieces of the dough and roll each one out into a long, thin rope, about 1 inch in diameter.  Use a sharp knife to cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.  Place them on wax paper, not touching, while you continue to work.  Create a gentle indentation with your thumb on each gnoccho, or press against the back of a fork to create lines.  

4.  When you're ready to cook them, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it.  Place the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the boiling water and gently stir.  When they rise to the surface, let them cook a few more seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon.   Sautee them or sauce them as you like, but do so soon, because they don't keep long after being boiled.

Enjoy!