I remember the first time I ever heard about gnocchi. I was at a friend’s house and they just went on and on about how great it was. I don’t think I’d ever heard someone get so excited about a pasta or dumpling (she couldn’t exactly decide which it was). We were living in Boston at the time and the next time we went out for Italian my wife ordered it and I tried some. Even though it would not be the best gnocchi I ever had, I immediately understood the appeal: A light and fluffy pillow of deliciousness wrapped in a tasty sauce. I had to learn everything about it: where did it come from, what is it’s essence, does it exist outside of Italian cuisine, and what new places could I take it?
History
Oddly enough, even though gnocchi is synonymous with Florence, Italy it probably originates in the Middle East, but was brought to Italy and the rest of Europe by the Roman Empire. The name is likely derived from a word meaning knot of wood or knuckle because of it’s shape. This is an old food. Because it requires little skill to make and doesn’t require special rollers or cutters, it likely predates most other forms of pasta. The Romans would have originally made it out of a mixture of Semolina and egg, much like pasta, but shaped into small dumplings. The use of potatoes, what we now think of as “traditional” wasn’t used until the 1500’s, after potatoes were brought to Europe from South America.
Essence
Think of gnocchi as a small airy dumpling. What you choose to make the dumpling from is up to you. It can be made like a pasta with just flour and eggs, or potatoes, butternut squash, or even cheese and toasted breadcrumbs to hold it together. However, in every variation I’ve ever had it includes some flour to help hold it together. My favorite Italian gnocchi is ricotta gnocchi, which I think has as good a texture as potato gnocchi, but a lot more flavor. It tastes like the inside of a cheese ravioli, and has a wonderful texture. My go-to recipe for ricotta gnocchi goes like this:
Italian Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce
- 15 oz. container of whole-milk ricotta
- 2 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed, quartered
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- a dash of pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- flour
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, pureed in a food processor
- salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1. Make a triple thickness of paper towels. Spread the ricotta on it and press down on it gently with another triple thickness of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Process the bread into fine crumbs in a food processor then bake the crumbs at 300 degrees until golden brown, about 10 minutes. While the bread crumbs bake, food process the drained ricotta until smooth.
3. Combine ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, pepper, parmesan, bread crumbs, and salt to taste in a large bowl. Add enough flour to make a dough that holds together when rolled into a ball, but still a bit tacky. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. Dust a work surface with flour, pull lemon sized pieces of dough out of the bowl and roll out into ¾ inch thick ropes with your hands. Cut the rope into ¾ inch pieces and set them aside. Repeat with the remaining dough.
5. Boil 4 quarts of water and then add 1 Tbsp, of salt. Reduce the water temperature to a simmer and then add the gnocchi a few at a time and cook, stirring occasionally. Each gnocco is done after it rises to the surface of the water. Remove them at this point with a slotted spoon and put them gently in a strainer.
6. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil, cream, and salt to taste. Gently add the sauce and the gnocchi to a serving bowl.
This gnocchi is admittedly more complicated than potato gnocchi, which is just cooked potatoes run through a ricer to remove any lumps, mixed with flour and salt until it gets to the same tacky consistency described above. However, it also has a lot more flavor, which is why I prefer it. But if you want simple, my first variation is about as simple as it gets.
Variations
Variations on it can be found in many other European countries including Spain, France and Croatia. Italian immigrants made their own variations on gnocchi when they settled in South America and people in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil are known to eat it on the 29th of each month. Now you can find endless variations on gnocchi, both the dumpling itself and the sauce. My first variation doesn’t take me far from it’s origins, but it doesn’t use ricotta cheese or potatoes in the dough, so I was intrigued. I based it on this recipe. Because my broiler does not work very well and because it was my first time, her results are much prettier. iIt is a flour and egg dough topped with a browned Mornay sauce, but what is interesting about it is that the dough and the sauce contain almost all of the same ingredients.
Gnocchi a la Parisienne
- 2 cups milk, gently simmering
- 6 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 cup and 2 Tbsp. flour
- 5 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
- salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
- 3 eggs
1. Mix 1 cup of milk and 4 Tbsp. melted butter with 1 cup of flour and stir until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the eggs 1 at a time. Add 3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Add more flour as needed for it to have the consistency of mashed potatoes. This mixture will be much wetter than the previous gnocchi. This is because you will not roll and cut it, but rather use a pastry bag to squeeze out dumplings.
2. Boil a large pot of water and add 1 Tbsp. of salt. Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off squeeze 1 inch pieces of dough into the boiling water. Each gnocco is done after it rises to the surface of the water. Remove them at this point with a slotted spoon and put them gently in a strainer.
3. Stir the remaining melted butter and flour into a skillet over medium high heat and cook the flour for a few minutes, stopping if it starts to brown. Whisk in the the remaining milk cook until slightly thickened.
4. Off-heat, quickly whisk in the the remaining parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Spread a little of this sauce on the bottle of a casserole dish. Add the cooled gnocchi and then top with the remaining sauce. Dot with a little more chilled butter and parmesan cheese and cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Broil to brown topping as needed and top with minced parsley.
Experiments
So I made gnocchi with ricotta, I made it with just flour. I have made it before with potatoes. So what could do I with it that I hadn’t seen before. I decided to stay in Europe yet again, and make a Feta gnocchi with shrimp, tomatoes, and bell peppers. The biggest struggle with this iteration is that feta is much drier than ricotta and these gnocchi need to be transferred to and from the water with care so they don’t crumble.
Mediterranean Feta Gnocchi with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Bell Peppers
- 16 oz. feta cheese, drained if in brine, processed in a food processor into very fine crumbs
- 2 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed, quartered
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano
- 4 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- a dash of pepper
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes, drained
- ¼ cup white wine
1. Process the bread into fine crumbs in a food processor then bake the crumbs at 300 degrees until golden brown, about 10 minutes. While the bread crumbs bake, food process the drained ricotta until smooth.
2. Combine feta, egg, 2 Tbsp. parsley, oregano, pepper to taste, bread crumbs, and salt to taste in a large bowl. Add enough flour to make a dough that holds together when rolled into a ball, but still a bit tacky. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Dust a work surface with flour, pull lemon sized pieces of dough out of the bowl and roll out into ¾ inch thick ropes with your hands. Cut the rope into ¾ inch pieces and set them aside. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Boil 4 quarts of water and then add 1 Tbsp, of salt. Reduce the water temperature to a simmer and then add the gnocchi a few at a time and cook, stirring occasionally. Each gnocco is done after it rises to the surface of the water. Remove them at this point with a slotted spoon and put them gently in a strainer.
5. Toss the shrimp with the garlic and lemon zest and set aside. Saute the onion and bell pepper in oil over medium high heat until softened and starting to brown. Add tomatoes, white wine, and shrimp mixture and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through and the wine is mostly evaporated. Add the parsley and stir to combine.
6. Serve the gnocchi, adding the shrimp/tomato/pepper mixture on top.
My final idea was to create a soup similar to Wonton soup, but replace the pork dumplings with a flour gnocchi similar to French recipe, but with sauteed garlic and ginger in the dough.
Chinese Gnocchi Soup
- 2 quarts of chicken broth
- 3” piece of ginger, minced
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- ¼ cup Chinese cooking wine or sherry
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup milk
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- sugar, soy sauce, chili sauce to taste
- edamame (if desired)
1. Melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and ⅓ of the ginger and cook until fragrant. Mix in 1 cup of milk and bring to a simmer. Add 1 cup of flour and stir until thoroughly combined. Take off heat and let sit.
2. Put the broth, the remaining ginger, soy sauce, wine, vinegar, and oil in a stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Add carrots and simmer until cooked through. Keep gently simmering.
3. Quickly whisk the eggs into the cooling flour/butter/milk mixture 1 at a time. Add more flour as needed for it to have the consistency of mashed potatoes. This mixture will be much wetter than the previous gnocchi. This is because you will not roll and cut it, but rather use a pastry bag to squeeze out dumplings. Add salt to taste.
4. Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off squeeze 1 inch pieces of dough into the simmering broth. Each gnocco is done after it rises to the surface of the broth. Add the spinach and scallions and serve.
So what about you? What’s the best gnocchi you’ve ever had? Have you ever had it without potatoes. Are you inspired to try something new? Let me know if you have any good ideas.
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