Gnocchi

By nichc

My gram's recipe. As a child we made them with my grandparents the morning of Thanksgiving and Easter to enjoy as part of our celebration. They are a small, light & fluffy dumpling pasta great with gravy (tomato sauce), cream sauce, or sage butter.

Ingredients

• 2 lb russet potatoes
• 1 1/2-2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Cook potatoes in pressure cooker with skins on until tender (about 10-12 minutes). Remove and peel quickly. While still warm cut into large chunks and, using a ricer, rice potatoes into a pile on a lightly floured board/counter.

Add flour to potato pile 1/2 cup at a time. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Only add flour until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky. You may not use all flour (about 1 cup flour per 1 pound potato). The less flour you use, the better the outcome will be.

Once mixture is smooth shape into ball. Cut off a section of the ball and roll into a snake the width of your finger. (its like playing with Play Dough).

Cut snake into 3/4 inch nuggets. Using your pointer & middle finger (held together) make and indention in the center of one nugget and gently roll towards you. This will create a small pocket in the center of the nugget. Repeat with remaining nuggets.

Repeat snake/nugget process with remaining dough.

Once done cook in salted rapidly boiling water. Drop 6-8 gnocchi in at a time and cook until they float to the top. This is fresh pasta so it will cook quickly. Once floating remove with slotted spoon to serving platter. Keep hot until all are cooked. Serve with sauce of choice or butter & Parmesan cheese.

Note: If you aren't going to cook the pasta immediately use these methods two retain freshness.
Lay slightly spaced apart on cookie sheet and cover with clean kitchen towel; refrigerate no more then 2 days.
Lay slightly spaced apart on cookie sheet and freeze. Once fully frozen move from cookie sheet to freezer bag. Cook from frozen as needed.