WHEN GNOCCHI
The gnocchi recipe has just three ingredients – boiled potatoes combined with a minimal amount of flour (too much flour and your gnocchi are going to be heavy), and a bit of salt. You need 1kg potatoes, salt, 250 g plain flour and nutmeg. Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to low. Cook for 30 minutes or until soft when pierced with a skewer. Let the potatoes cool, then peel with a small knife. Mash the potatoes until they are just smooth, then press one-quarter of potato through a sieve into a bowl. Add salt. Add flour. Mix to form a slightly sticky dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour, but only a tablespoon at a time. Too much makes the dough heavy. Dust a pastry board with flour. Cut dough into portions. Roll each portion on a lightly floured surface to a 2cm-thick. Use a lightly floured knife to cut into 2cm pieces. Bring a large shallow saucepan of water to the boil. Add one-quarter of the gnocchi. When they rise to the surface – after about 2-3 minutes – they’re ready. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them. You can also add a egg or fecola to the dough if you want.
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