Gnocchi

[monavano]

I'm not that good at making gnocchi. My first attempt actually came out ok-not pillowy, yet not sinkers. Since then, my more recent attempts have involved way to much flour and kneading. I think the pototoes smell my fear.

Does anyone have an easy recipe that could help me make good gnocchi?

[Erin11]

I've had good luck following Lydia Bastianich's method.

Link

[Dave Pressley]

There a ton of recipes that work well, but the same premise will apply to all of them: the less moisture involved, the lighter the gnocchi will be. Whatever potato I use, I am always sure to roast them whole on a bed of kosher salt. The salt draws out the moisture. (Boiling the potato seems to defeat the purpose of keeping them as dry as possible, you know?)

Peel and rice the potatoes and add an egg, a little salt and just enough flour so the mass holds together and has just lost most of its "tackiness".

I've never really used a recipe, but this method always works for me. Good luck!

[Anna Blume]

I started out with Marcella Hazan's recipe and had luck, but largely because a seasoned gnocchist was in charge and watching someone experienced helps. That was years ago and after I stopped making them, I was reluctant to try again.

What got me back into the cult was Judy Rodger's superbly photographed, detailed lesson in making ricotta gnocchi (*Zuni Cafe Cookbook*); I'm pretty sure I PM'd an explanation to you some time ago. The recipe is so easy to follow, and results so spectacular, the fragrance of fear dissipated after tasting the first batch.

Then, I started making ones w butternut squash, using tutorials of Franci (formerly active at eGullet, native of Puglia, professionally trained, who, as a new mother, now blogs elsewhere in Italian every few months or so). On the entry I've linked here, note the blogger's own link to an entry she wrote about gnocchi. She offers a series of pointers about technique that you might find of use.

I agree with the post above, that LB's recipe is very good. I think the world of her television programs. I managed to catch one on gnocchi that I found more valuable than any written recipe I've seen since the real skill, for me, is shaping the light curls of dough that bear impressions from the tines of a fork. It's hard to describe the process clearly.

You have good advice already here, but I'll be explicit about something you probably know already: rice your baking potatoes. A good ricer is the most important equipment you need. Those little wooden gnocchi forms? A table fork will do.

[dcdavidm]

We've had pretty good luck over the years making gnocchi following Mario Batali's recipes (available in several of his books).

Last month, however, we tried the very specific techniques that Paula Wolfert outlined in an article in the November 2007 issue of Food and Wine titled, "Six Steps to Reaching Gnocchi Nirvana." Here is a link: Gnocchi Nirvana

The six-step technique is fairly specific, but not difficult. We thought the results were exceptionally good. I agree with "Anna" -- a potato ricer is essential.

[Anna Blume]

Thanks for the Wolfert link! Credit is due to Shaggy first regarding the ricer, I see, though I'll add I like LB's advice about drying out the riced potatoes by spreading them on a tray till cooled.

We've had pretty good luck over the years making gnocchi following Mario Batali's recipes (available in several of his books).

FYI, he's got an excellent composite recipe for ricotta gnocchi with sausage and fennel that I plum forgot till now.

Food Network has his recipe for regular potato gnocchi on the web.

In MOLTO ITALIANO (where you'll find the first recipe mentioned above), he asks you to make an ice bath when you prepare potato gnocchi. You're supposed to fetch each cooked gnocco out of the boiling water when it's done and plunge it into the ice water, then when they're all done, finish them in your sauce or refrigerate them for up to two days. DON'T follow this advice. A number of those of us who participated in 1 1/2 year-long Italian regional cooking project over at eGullet had problems with texture when trying the ice bath.

[cjsadler]

We've had pretty good luck over the years making gnocchi following Mario Batali's recipes (available in several of his books).

Last month, however, we tried the very specific techniques that Paula Wolfert outlined in an article in the November 2007 issue of Food and Wine titled, "Six Steps to Reaching Gnocchi Nirvana." Here is a link: Gnocchi Nirvana

The six-step technique is fairly specific, but not difficult. We thought the results were exceptionally good. I agree with "Anna" -- a potato ricer is essential.

Ricing, drying out the potatoes through various baking methods (I've seen a chef put the riced potatoes back in a low oven on a sheet tray to dry them out even further), and gentle handling all definitely help. However, after much frustration (followed each time by eating my disappointing gnocchi with contempt), I finally discovered that the crucial trick is using a lower protein flour. Wolfert uses part cake flour here, but I find that using all cake flour works even better.

[mhberk]

Step four: Use two-thirds all-purpose flour to one-third cake flour. Ordinary all-purpose flour is all right, but it isn't milled finely enough to be fully absorbed into the potato crumbles. Plus, it has too much protein: High-protein wheat results in chewy gnocchi. If you want to be truly Italian, look for imported Italian flour marked 00 TENERO, which is milled from soft wheat with a low protein content.

I know chef Trabocchi calls for this flour when making his lasagna. Where can I find this flour?

[zoramargolis]

I know chef Trabocchi calls for this flour when making his lasagna. Where can I find this flour?

I have seen "00" flour at Balducci, and also at BlackSalt market. Be prepared, it isn't cheap.

[Mrs. B]

I know chef Trabocchi calls for this flour when making his lasagna. Where can I find this flour?

Vace on Conn. Ave. has 00 flour.

[Heather]

King Arthur has a version available by mail order.

[mktye]

I know chef Trabocchi calls for this flour when making his lasagna. Where can I find this flour?

Click

[Anna Blume]

I've also used cake flour (cf. a post I contributed to a pasta-making thread for formula) instead of tipo 00 since it's less costly and in some cases, might not have been sitting on the shelf for so long. Most brands are highly processed hard wheat vs. produced from naturally soft wheat, I believe, but I am not going to spend the time googling for the sake of fact-checking. I imagine you might have similar results with a lot of the highly refined flours Harris Teeter sells for light and fluffy biscuits, e.g. White Lilly. Bastianich and others swear you don't need this stuff and that KA A-P will do. Certainly A-P is fine in gnocchi.

[cjsadler]

Was looking for some serving/sauce ideas for some gnocchi in the freezer and came across this recipe from some John Wabeck guy. The trout and gnocchi looks like a pretty tasty combination (I see he uses the cake flour trick too).

Anyone ever try Parsienne gnocchi (which uses a choux dough)?

[Anna Blume]

Was looking for some serving/sauce ideas for some gnocchi in the freezer and came across this recipe from some John Wabeck guy. The trout and gnocchi looks like a pretty tasty combination (I see he uses the cake flour trick too).

Never done the brown butter on purpose, but melted butter and fresh sage is classic. Love the combo w Parmesan, too, of course!

Second course: thin veal w brown butter and lemon--or chicken or pork scalloppine instead. These on the side, or what's more classic if you're feeling flush and find a humane purveyor: a veal chop.

Trader Joe's has those itty bitty plastic containers of sage for $1.79 vs. $2.69 or more at other supermarkets. When Gardeners' Gourmet (Cinda or the Galvanized Steel Bucket Lady at Eastern & Dupont Markets) has sage, it's an even better deal.

Anyone ever try Parsienne gnocchi (which uses a choux dough)?

L'Homme Qui Attend, non e vero?

They're related to the Roman semolina type which I've never tried.

Might I point out how much Monovano has inspired commentary here? I suggest that we all shop for the ingredients of one kind of gnocchi this weekend and document what we make over the course of the next week, whether w photographs or a simple verbal account.

If the idea proves of interest, we can try rice pudding at a future date and see if we can get Don Rocks to visit a grocery store.

[Heather]

Anyone ever try Parsienne gnocchi (which uses a choux dough)?

Only once, and I didn't care much for the texture.

I've not had much success with gnocchi, but will give it a go this weekend using some White Lily flour instead of AP.

[Mrs. B]

Waitman & I have used the gnocchi recipe from Keller's FL Cookbook with spectacular and not so spectacular results. I would say that even the not so spectacular results were nearly as good as the best I have eaten in top notch restaurants. A very gentle touch with the dough is key in my experience. I have not experimented with the flour, I will keep this in mind next time.

We have always used a potato ricer and not done any drying method btw.

Yum Gnocchi with hazelnut cream sauce.

[Heather]

Thanks Ms. B...Keller's recipe calls for the ice water bath which Anna Blume says leads to a funny texture. Do you use the ice water bath before sauteeing?

[Anna Blume]

Finally made gnocchi tonight, using Lidia M Bastianich's instructions (her Italian-American cookbook) which I highly recommend.

She urges you to work very quickly, taking no more than ten minutes to transform riced, air-dried russet potatoes into dough with 1 beaten egg, 1/2 t salt and a little pepper and 1 1/2 cups A-P flour (or less) per pair of potatoes (well, this is half her recipe).* Good picture for checking texture. I was done in 5.

The hard part after snaking quarters of the dough and cutting them into 1/2 inch segments, for me, remains turning them into neat little ridged curls that roll off the tines of your fork. I've got a tray of misshapen oddities hardening in the freezer since I just gave up and mostly went for the indentation.

As for texture, though, perfect for fresh batch; we'll see about frozen ones. I dried the potatoes for hours and added only a little more than 1 cup of flour.

Had some almost-boiled milk leftover from making yogurt. Used that and a dab of schmaltzy pan juices to make a gorgonzola sauce w a little butter and Parmesan.

*Supposedly enough for 4 first courses, though I found 1/4 of this amount so filling I could have easily had it as a main dish.

[monavano]

We've had pretty good luck over the years making gnocchi following Mario Batali's recipes (available in several of his books).

Last month, however, we tried the very specific techniques that Paula Wolfert outlined in an article in the November 2007 issue of Food and Wine titled, "Six Steps to Reaching Gnocchi Nirvana." Here is a link: Gnocchi Nirvana

The six-step technique is fairly specific, but not difficult. We thought the results were exceptionally good. I agree with "Anna" -- a potato ricer is essential.

I picked up a bunch of fresh dill at the Dupont Market on Sunday and once I got home, I realized just how much I had. Wanting to use it all before it went bad, I decided to make herbed gnocchi and came back to this thread.

I decided to go with Mario Batali's recipe which is on the FN website. I used Yukon Gold potatoes, however.

I worked with the potatoes while they were quite warm and felt that the dough came together easily, without having to incorporate any more flour, other than to roll pieces into batons.

I added finely chopped dill and a handful of pecorino. The recipe (3 lbs. of potatoes) made about 90-100 gnocchi.

I'm going to use some tonight, browned in butter, to go along with leftover braised brisket. The rest are are a lined baking sheet in the freezer.

Thanks all!

Here's a handful that I browned in butter and topped with cheese.

[Anna Blume]

M: Those look gorgeous--not at all deformed like mine!

I wonder about the Yukon gold potatoes, though. What did you think about the texture?

Every English-language recipe I've read insists on floury potatoes and ricing them when hot. (Don't have Batali in front of me, but I know I've made his, too.) The implications are that the results are much lighter, or "pillowy" as you put it in your original post.

I do prefer mashed potatoes made with Yukons or other boiling potatoes, so I just might have to give it a try. After all, you can make gnocchi from winter squash which isn't exactly light and airy.

[lperry]

I've read through the thread and I've read through all the threads linked from the thread. I have an equipment question. What exactly is the ricer everyone is talking about? Is it the garlic-press-on-steroids ricer with the big plunger that smashes the potatoes through tiny holes? I don't understand how that can not compress the potatoes, especially when I have always used it for things like pressing the liquid out of frozen spinach. I have always used a food mill, but various people say this will compress or make the potatoes gluey. I haven't had this happen and I've used it with squash and sweet potatoes too. I honestly thought the ricer would be worse for doing that. I have soft, fluffy gnocchi just about every time. At least I think I do. Have I unwittingly been eating quantities of inferior gnocchi? Where's a physicist when you need one?

[monavano]

Anna, you know, I was just in the mood to experiment! I purposely bought Yukons for this recipe, as I googled around a bit and did see some recipes using it. I know however, that it is unconventional.

The first time I made gnocchi, I used Michael Chiarello's recipe, and they turned out quite good. The recipe calls for baking the russet potatoes in their skins, then scooping them out. It was a pain in the ass, burnt fingers and all.

The next attempt, I boiled peeled russets, but found that I was adding more, and more, and more flour to get it to come together without being sticky, and they were a total loss: tough,chewy sinkers.

For Batali's recipe, he calls for russetts. I used his proportions and method primarily, and added dill and pecorino.

This time, I used a food mill, instead of a ricer, as Mario calls for to process the potatoes. I worked with the potatoes very warm and as I noted, it came together surprisingly well, almost like I knew what I was doing. I rolled them into batons, cut and made ridges with a fork, taking care to fully mold them into a "shell" shape so they had a well in the middle as well as ridges on the outside.

As for the texture, they were a bit on the larger size as my technique for rolling batons is not terrific. Inside, they were creamy, but not heavy. Gnocchi that I've had in restaurants (ie: Eve) have been lighter, most definitely, but I was pleased with my own effort given my experience making them. What I think made them shine was giving them a quick browning in butter, so they became a bit crisp on the outside.

lperry, the ricer is a large garlic press, and I've used it for mashed potatoes and extruding things like little dumplings. Mostly I have heard and read that it makes for fluffier potatoes, as does the food mill. That has been my experience as well.

[Anna Blume]

Mona: Thanks for the reply. I also reviewed this topic, finding that I had forgotten Wolfert's recommendations as found in Dcdavid's helpful link. PW advises you to bake Yukon Golds and she's always been someone I've trusted.

Choosing baking vs. boiling potatoes for European dishes is worthy of its own topic. Are there European potatoes comparable to our floury baking tubers?

Some time back when José Andres agreed to participate in a Q&A at egullet.org I asked why he recommended russet potatoes for dishes I would have normally prepared with a firmer, waxy potato. I don't recall his response in detail, but I prefer using Heinz Thomet's various seasonal potatoes (Next Step Produce at Dupont Market), such as the yellow Carolinas for patatas a la riojana since they hold up better, though adding one russet potato thickens the oniony, pimenton-laced sauce as it starts to disintegrate. For tortillas, slices of russet soften more rapidly and they're fine, but unless I've just purchased a 5-lb. bag of organic russets, preference is for something less wimpy.

With gnocchi, I suspect russets make lighter gnocchi, but I am intrigued and can see how a waxy potato might require less flour and perhaps, be more cooperative when it comes to retaining impressions from a fork.

Lperry: Amusing description! To add to Mona's response, I'll add that the Franci mentioned in my post(s?) above is the proud owner of amazing Italian kitchen tools. You might try searching for her contributions to the long regional cooking project in the Italian forum at egullet, though I don't recall if she ever posted a photograph of the kind of ricer Italians use. However, she's lived in the US as well as the UK (current home) and says Italian ricers have larger holes than the ones favored in the US.