An underrated Italian classic, Gnocchi are thick, small, and soft dough dumplings traditionally made from semolina, wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal and packed with various flavorings such as herbs, vegetables, cocoa, or prune. This recipe is kindly provided by Casareccio, dubbed Mama Dalya’s Gnocchi! Wondering whether our version would make the cut with La Mama!
Ingredients
2 & 1/2 cups fresh buffalo Ricotta, chilled
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for rolling the gnocchi
1 large egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
- In a large bowl and using your hands, mix the ricotta, flour, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, salt, sugar, nutmeg and pepper, adding more flour as needed until the dough is slightly sticky. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- When ready to make the gnocchi, lightly sprinkle flour on a large cutting board and a rimmed large shallow pan. Transfer the dough to the floured board and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll one of the pieces on the board into a long log about 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide. Don’t worry if the dough isn’t uniformly shaped—the gnocchi will be charmingly irregular. Take care not to pick up too much additional flour or the gnocchi will be tough. You want just enough to keep them shapeable, but still a little sticky.
- Cut the log into 3/4-inch pieces and toss them on the floured sheet pan, leaving space between them. Repeat until all the dough has been rolled and cut. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least an hour or up to 2 days.
- Cook in a large quantity of salted lightly boiling water. Cooked gnocchi will rise to the top. Remove from water and allow to drain. Serve with your choice of sauce.
