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Wash about 1 lb. baking potatoes and cook in lightly salted water
(without peeling). It is best to start with cold water. The potatoes
should all be about the same size. Cooking time depends on the type and
size.
A
rule of thumb for testing cooking state is to stick a fork into one or
two potatoes and if it goes easily, the potatoes are done. When ready,
drain, peel and mash them through a potato ricer, (do not use a food
mill, as it would make the purée sticky and thus impossible to work
with) and place on a pastry board or marble surface. Should the purée be
too watery, put it back on the stove over moderate heat and let it dry
well, stirring constantly.
It is
important to have a dry purée, or you will need to add too much flour
and gnocchi will turn out doughy and heavy. Add a small amount of salt
and as much white flour as necessary to make the dough soft enough not
to stick to your fingers. You don't have to knead the dough too much,
just long enough blend all the ingredients.
Cut a
piece of the dough and, coating your hands with flour, roll the dough
into a long cylinder about the thickness of your index finger. Then cut
the cylinder into pieces about l-in. long. Sweep the dough lengthwise
toward you, pressing against the board with your fingertips. This will
make each piece curl up, taking the shape of a little shell. For this
purpose you may also use other utensils such as the back of a cheese
grater or a fork. In this case, gnocchi will be ridged and
curled. It is not necessary to give them a particular shape: they may be
simply cut into nuggets of any desired size.
Repeat until all the dough is used, trying to handle the dumplings as
little as possible. Finally, place the gnocchi on a flat surface
sprinkled with flour without overcrowding. Cook as soon as possible.
Note:
You can add 1-2 eggs to the potato and flour dough. The eggs will make
the mix harder, more consistent. In some cases this is a desired result,
especially if large amounts have to be prepared or if they have to be
made long before the final cooking. In this case, gnocchi will
not be as soft, they will have more of a bite.
Recipe courtesy of The Italian Trade Commission.
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