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you will need:
2 large potatoes (white)
2 cups of flour
1 cup parmesan - finely grated
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
score the potatoes and boil until the skin starts to split (depending on size of potato it could take up to 50 mins). remove from water and immediately remove the skin - use oven gloves as the potatoes will be really hot. as soon as you've take off the skin, put the potatoes through a potato ricer. the hotter the potato is when you rice it, the fluffier your gnocchi will be. spread the riced potato onto a flat surface, spreading it out evenly to cool. i put my potato onto a baking tray lined with parchment.
once the potato has cooled, form a well...see photo...and into this well place the egg (already beaten with the salt, pepper and nutmeg). using your hands, knead the potato and egg mixture until it forms a soft dough. add the parmesan and flour by the handful until your dough holds enough to form a large ball. total time from making the well to when the dough is done should be around 2 minutes. this is really messy process...ensure you have enough flour on the surface and your hands as kneading the dough will make things stickier and stickier...
form the dough into a large ball and cut into 6 pieces. take the first piece and form a rectangle. now roll it into a long thin snake shape - see photo. keep enough flour on the dough, surface and your hands. if it gets unmanageable, split the dough again and form shorter strands.
pinch off an inch and form a round ball in the palm of your hand, press a fork's tines into the dough ball - there's your gnocchi. you don't have to do anything other than form a ball or oval if you prefer, the fork marks are optional.
when your gnocchi is ready, refrigerate covered if you're not using it straightaway. freeze if you want to use it longer than a day later.
heat salted water in a deep pan - when boiling, add the gnocchi. my gnocchi took around 3-4 mins. they floated to the top but weren't done (they tasted potato-y) so i left them in there for another 2-3 mins by which time they sunk...but were cooked perfectly. most recipes advise cooking for 1 minute, cooking being complete when the gnocchi rise...but in my experience tonight, they needed longer in the water.
when they were cooked, i tossed them in butter and covered them with arribiata sauce. they were lovely, i was relieved and happy at the result.
arrabiata sauce
you will need:
1 can tomato sauce
4 fresh plum tomatoes
2 dried red chiles
2 sprigs fresh basil
4 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 dry sherry
salt and pepper
score the tomatoes - 1 large cross in the base of each one. place them into a deep pan of boiling water. after about 1 minute remove the tomatoes and peel off the skin. crush them using your hands into a bowl. set aside.
saute the garlic and shallots in olive oil. add the sherry and reduce liquid by half. lower heat to medium and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. stir well.
take your chilis and deseed them. sprinkle the seeds into the tomato mixture - you can add the chili pods too if you like. mix well.
cover and leave simmering for 30 mins. serve with your pasta of choice.
.JPG)
you will need:
2 large potatoes (white)
2 cups of flour
1 cup parmesan - finely grated
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
score the potatoes and boil until the skin starts to split (depending on size of potato it could take up to 50 mins). remove from water and immediately remove the skin - use oven gloves as the potatoes will be really hot. as soon as you've take off the skin, put the potatoes through a potato ricer. the hotter the potato is when you rice it, the fluffier your gnocchi will be. spread the riced potato onto a flat surface, spreading it out evenly to cool. i put my potato onto a baking tray lined with parchment.
once the potato has cooled, form a well...see photo...and into this well place the egg (already beaten with the salt, pepper and nutmeg). using your hands, knead the potato and egg mixture until it forms a soft dough. add the parmesan and flour by the handful until your dough holds enough to form a large ball. total time from making the well to when the dough is done should be around 2 minutes. this is really messy process...ensure you have enough flour on the surface and your hands as kneading the dough will make things stickier and stickier...
form the dough into a large ball and cut into 6 pieces. take the first piece and form a rectangle. now roll it into a long thin snake shape - see photo. keep enough flour on the dough, surface and your hands. if it gets unmanageable, split the dough again and form shorter strands.
pinch off an inch and form a round ball in the palm of your hand, press a fork's tines into the dough ball - there's your gnocchi. you don't have to do anything other than form a ball or oval if you prefer, the fork marks are optional.
when your gnocchi is ready, refrigerate covered if you're not using it straightaway. freeze if you want to use it longer than a day later.
heat salted water in a deep pan - when boiling, add the gnocchi. my gnocchi took around 3-4 mins. they floated to the top but weren't done (they tasted potato-y) so i left them in there for another 2-3 mins by which time they sunk...but were cooked perfectly. most recipes advise cooking for 1 minute, cooking being complete when the gnocchi rise...but in my experience tonight, they needed longer in the water.
when they were cooked, i tossed them in butter and covered them with arribiata sauce. they were lovely, i was relieved and happy at the result.
arrabiata sauce
you will need:
1 can tomato sauce
4 fresh plum tomatoes
2 dried red chiles
2 sprigs fresh basil
4 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 dry sherry
salt and pepper
score the tomatoes - 1 large cross in the base of each one. place them into a deep pan of boiling water. after about 1 minute remove the tomatoes and peel off the skin. crush them using your hands into a bowl. set aside.
saute the garlic and shallots in olive oil. add the sherry and reduce liquid by half. lower heat to medium and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. stir well.
take your chilis and deseed them. sprinkle the seeds into the tomato mixture - you can add the chili pods too if you like. mix well.
cover and leave simmering for 30 mins. serve with your pasta of choice.
