Practical cook.

Pasta's Plump Little Cousins, Gnocchi, Take Myriad Forms, All Of Them Adaptable To All Manner Of Sauce

December 02, 1993|By Peter Kump, Special to the Tribune, (copyright) 1993 by Peter Kump.

If you could happily eat pasta every day, as I could, you're sure to love gnocchi, as I do. Gnocchi (pronounced NYOH-key), made with potatoes, ricotta cheese, spinach, flour, cornmeal, semolina or practically any ingredients that can be formed into dough, are little cakes or dumplings that are sauced and treated much like pasta. Their first cousins are the German spaetzle.

Like pasta, gnocchi can be eaten as a first course or side dish and they lend themselves to countless varieties of sauces. These plump little dumplings are usually poached in salted water or broth, but they can also be baked with butter and cheese or fried.

Gnocchi are enjoyed all over Italy, with each region placing its own identifying stamp. In the Valle d'Aosta near Switzerland, for example, gnocchi are made from buckwheat flour and are served with melted fontina cheese. The tiny gnocchi of Sardinia are colored with saffron, while pumpkin is favored in Lombardy. In the Alto Adige region, bordering Austria, gnocchi are made with rye bread crumbs. The Veronese prefer potato gnocchi, and in the Abruzzi region gnocchi are served like spaghetti carbonara, with an egg and pancetta sauce.

Making and forming gnocchi

Gnocchi can be formed in several ways. Some are rolled into little balls; some are piped through a pastry bag; some are rolled into logs and cut to one-inch cylinders. Traditionally, these cylinders are rolled against the inside of a fork, which makes a grooved pattern, before cooking. Here's how it's done:

With floured hands, pick up one piece of the gnocchi (which is a gnocco, which also is a derogatory Italian term meaning "dolt").

- Place the gnocco on the inside of a fork's tines.

- With your index finger, press the middle of the gnocco lightly against the tines, making a small indentation with your finger.

- Immediately flip or roll the gnocco away from and off the fork with your finger and let it drop to the counter.


Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

The Veronese, according to Carol Field, author of "Celebrating Italy," from which this recipe is taken, invented this particularly delicate mixture of potatoes and flour and have a special skill in making them. She says that the trick of making delicate gnocchi is adding as little flour as possible; she also bakes, rather than boils, the potatoes.

4 large baking potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

10 cups water

1 stick unsalted butter

2 fresh sage leaves, torn or 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the potatoes until the point of a knife enters them easily, about 45 minutes. Cool the potatoes, peel them while they are still warm, and push them through a ricer into a large bowl.

2. Mix in salt, egg and as little flour as possible to make a soft, smooth, consistent mixture. Roll out into logs about the width of a finger and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch segments. Shape them, using a fork, according to the directions above.

3. Heat 2 1/2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and cook the gnocchi until they rise to the top, 1 to 3 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan, and wilt the sage leaves in it briefly. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, drain and serve immediately with the sage and butter sauce. Pass the Parmesan cheese at the table to sprinkle on top.


Preparation time: 50 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Adapted from "Essentials of Classic Italian Cookbook" by Marcella Hazan.

1 package (10 ounces) chopped frozen spinach

1 tablespoon minced onion

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons minced unsmoked ham, pancetta or mortadella

3/4 cup fresh ricotta or cottage cheese

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 egg yolks

1 cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Salt to taste

Tomato and cream sauce, recipe follows

1. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and cool to room temperature. When cool, squeeze out excess moisture. Chop coarsely.

2. Cook onion in butter in a medium skillet until it starts to color, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in ham, then add spinach and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Transfer spinach mixture to a mixing bowl and mix in the ricotta and flour with a spoon. When smooth, stir in the yolks, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg and salt and continue stirring until well blended.

4. Make 1/2-inch long pellets of the ricotta mixture by rolling pieces of the gnocchi in the palms of your floured hands.