If you're looking for a break from your January diet or something to eat on your 'cheat day', then this is the dish for you! I spend about 4 weeks in Italy every year and each time I visit I am taught something incredible by my Italian relatives in Puglia. I stand over Nonna Machetella's shoulder watching her deftly create incredible southern Italian classics.
These bad boys will knock your socks off. Gnocchi or 'little lumps' are an amazing alternative to a pasta course and there are a few tips and tricks that you need to know in order to make light and fluffy gnocchi, the most important being that gnocchi is NOT a 'left over spud' dish!
The big problem with gnocchi is that they can tend to be heavy, but if you follow this recipe you will have light gnocchi every time.
These humble ingredients will make one heck of a dish!
To make light gnocchi you need to bake the spuds - if you boil them they take on too much water and will make heavy gnocchi. First, wet the spuds and cover with salt. Then stab the spuds all over with a sharp knife and sling into a pre-heated oven at 180c for about 60 minutes or until a skewer goes straight through.
Split the spuds in half and scoop out the flesh. Do not get rid of the skins, deep fry them and serve with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce... But that's for another time.
Don't just mash the spuds. You gotta rice them or sling them through a mouli - this is the next step in getting light gnocchi.
Combine the spuds with the egg and herbs and season really well. Taste the mix and adjust as you need.
Next, add in the flour. You HAVE to use '00' flour, otherwise you can just forget about making gnocchi altogether! You need just enough to bind everything together and make a dough. It shouldn't be too wet or dry. Add water if you need to, but add the flour in small batches.
Form the dough into 2 balls and sling them in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes.
Roll the dough balls into long sausage shapes about 2 cms thick then 'clip' out the Gnocchi with a knife - you'll end up with little pillow shapes. If you want the traditional round just roll 'em with the back of a fork
Get a pot of salted boiling water on the go and drop in the gnocchi in a couple of batches. When they float the are ready.
Drain the gnocchi and arrange them in whatever dish you are serving them in. Then scatter over the freshly grated cheeses and sling under a grill until the cheese melts and is gooey.
Eat immediately!
