Gnocchi (basic recipe)
"Giovedí gnocchi, venerdí pesce e sabato trippa". This Italian expression, which in Norwegian means: Thursday gnocchi, Friday fish and Saturday stomach (offal), is very well known throughout Italy, but originally it comes from Lazio/Rome.
This expression dates back to the period immediately after the Second World War and refers to the Catholic tradition of fasting from meat on Fridays.
A nutritious and hearty dish, the gnocchi was prepared on Thursdays, the day before the meat-free day, when only fish and pulses were eaten.
While Saturday was the day used to slaughter animals.
The best parts of the animals were for the rich, while the poor could only afford to buy the smaller parts of the animals, such as stomachs and offal. It was good that these parts in the wise hands of the housewives became very tasty dishes.
It is common to find gnocchi on the menu on Thursdays at many restaurants in Rome/Lazio.
Considering that one cannot now travel to Rome, let's try to travel with the dishes.
Making gnocchi is easy and very quick. Follow the recipe and enjoy them. 😊
Diff: 1
Preparation: 20'
Cooking time: 40'
Ingredients for 4-5 people:
- 1 kg flour potatoes
- 250 g wheat flour 00, plus for sprinkling
- 2 egg yolks, beaten together
- a pinch of nutmeg
- salt
This is what you do:
Place the potatoes with the skin on in cold, salted water in a saucepan. Cook the potatoes until tender.
Peel and mash the potatoes with a potato masher or similar while they are hot (important). Do not mash the potatoes with high-speed choppers or stick blenders. Let them cool.
Stir in salted nutmeg and the egg yolks. Mix it lightly with a fork.
Sprinkle over the wheat flour and quickly knead the mixture into a smooth and firm dough.
Sprinkle some of the wheat flour on the workbench and divide the dough into a few pieces and shape them into long sausages, approx. 1 ½ cm thick and cut them into approx. 2 cm long pieces with a knife.
Leave the gnocchi as small pillows or make a groove with a fork or with a special "grooving board".
Place them on a kitchen towel sprinkled with a little flour without them coming into contact with each other.
Boil plenty of salted water in a large, wide pot.
Reduce the heat so that the water just simmers. Add the gnocchi to the water, a few at a time. The gnocchi are ready when they float to the surface.
Remove them with a slotted spoon, let them drain and put them on a plate with a little olive oil.
They are ready to be served with the sauce of your choice or to be put in the freezer.
Some sauces that go well with gnocchi:
Pasta with tomato sauce (Pasta al pomodoro)
Pasta sauce with Italian sausage (Ragú di salsiccia)
Bolognese sauce (Ragù alla bolognese)