Features of cooking an Italian dish, TOP-7 best gnocchi recipes. Video recipes.
Gnocchi are dumplings popular in Italy. They are small lumps, usually consisting of potatoes, eggs, semolina and wheat flour. Dumplings can have different shapes, compositions and even patterns.
Features of cooking gnocchi
The dish came to us from Ancient Rome. The word itself is supposedly derived from "nocchio" - "wooden bough", but there is another opinion. According to some reports, this dish is translated from Italian "nocca" - "fist".
Initially, the preparation of Italian dumplings was based on semolina and eggs. In Italy, the dish was especially popular among the peasants. Such a hearty, tasty, and most importantly, cheap dinner could feed the whole family.
Gradually, the gnocchi recipe became famous not only in Italy, but also in other countries of the world. So, for example, in France the famous dish is made from potatoes and served with Bechamel sauce, in Croatia it is presented as a side dish, and in Brazil, Argentina and some other countries it is eaten only on the 29th of every month.
By the way, in some parts of Italy it is customary to eat this dish only on Thursdays. Another very funny tradition is coins placed under a plate with food. According to local residents, this ritual brings good luck and well-being to the home.
The classic gnocchi recipe involves flour, potatoes and eggs. To make dumplings, you need to select good root vegetables, peel, boil, then grate them on a coarse grater, twist through a meat grinder or mash with a crush, and then add the rest of the ingredients. The dish will be delicious if you knead the dough correctly. It should be airy and slightly sticky to your fingers. Next, the dough is rolled out in a layer not thinner than 2-3 cm and cut into strips, which in turn are divided into small pieces, boned in flour. The resulting dumplings are boiled in water or broth with the addition of spices. The grooves made on the gnocchi with a fork allow the sauce to be absorbed faster and retained on the inside.
Note! Dumplings can be frozen, so they can be used as homemade convenience foods.
You can add various gravies, seasonings and sauces to the finished dish, which you can prepare yourself or purchase in the store ready-made. You can decorate your meal with herbs - basil, parsley, cilantro, and you can also sprinkle it with grated hard cheese, for example, Parmesan.
TOP-7 recipes for cooking gnocchi
Italian dumplings can enter not only the menu of the everyday table, but also become a festive treat. If you are wondering how to make gnocchi, consider the recipes below for this interesting dish.
Classic gnocchi
In Italy, dumplings are referred to as pasta or, as the inhabitants of the country say, to pasta. The classic gnocchi recipe assumes that they are light, porous and without a flour aftertaste.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 326 kcal.
- Servings - 1
- Cooking time - 2 hours
Ingredients:
- Potatoes - 1 kg
- Chicken eggs - 3 pcs.
- Wheat flour - 250 g
- Salt to taste
How to prepare classic gnocchi step by step:
- Wash the potatoes with warm water and peel them. Cut into halves, cover with water and put on fire.
- Wait for the pieces to boil, then turn off the gas and cover the pan with a lid. Season with salt a few minutes until tender.
- Mash boiled potatoes with a crush and leave to cool.
- Place mashed potatoes, eggs and some flour in one container.
- Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and then add the rest of the flour. The dough should not be too "tight", otherwise the gnocchi will have an unpleasant flour aftertaste.
- Knead the potato dough, it should be airy and stick a little to your fingers.
- Pour some flour on the work surface, roll out a plump cake and cut into strips, which in turn must be divided into small pieces.
- Form into oval dumplings, cut with a toothpick or fork. Choose the pattern at your discretion. These can be either parallel or crossed lines.
- Boil water, salt and dip the gnocchi into it.
- Keep them in boiling water for 3-5 minutes and serve.
Gnocchi with pumpkin
Truly an autumn recipe for an Italian dish with the addition of a seasonal vegetable. Pumpkin is a storehouse of various vitamins, which are so lacking in cold weather. These gnocchi are also made with potatoes, but the main ingredient is a lovely orange vegetable.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes - 400 g
- Pumpkin - 600 g
- Flour - 500 g
- Garlic - 4 cloves
- Butter - 100 g
- Salt to taste
How to prepare pumpkin gnocchi step by step:
- Wash the pumpkin, peel, remove the seeds, cut into wedges.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, place the pumpkin pieces on it. Put in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees, for 20 minutes.
- Peel and boil potatoes.
- Mash the pumpkin with a blender, and grate the potatoes on a coarse grater.
- In one saucepan, combine mashed potatoes and pumpkin puree, some flour and eggs. Knead a soft dough.
- Form strips 1, 5-2 cm thick, and then cut them into small pieces.
- Give the dumplings the shape you like and sprinkle them with flour.
- Make longitudinal notches with a fork around the circumference of the dumplings.
- Put them in boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Put a frying pan on the gas, melt butter on it and fry the dumplings boiled earlier.
- Add herbs and garlic as desired. Serve hot.
Gnocchi with cheese
You don't have to be a chef to prepare this Italian dish, you just need to buy quality products and carefully follow the recipe.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes - 500 g
- Chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
- Wheat flour - 1 tbsp.
- Parmesan - 100 g
- Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
How to prepare cheese gnocchi step by step:
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, peel and boil in salt water until tender.
- Remove and mash the root vegetables with a crush.
- Mix eggs, mashed potatoes and finely grated Parmesan.
- Add flour and knead an elastic dough.
- Form from the dough into pampushki 1.5-2 cm in size.
- Boil them in water. When the dumplings come up, you can take them out of the boiling water.
- Grate cheese on a fine grater and sprinkle on top of the finished dish.
Gnocchi with mushrooms
You can add aroma and sophistication to potato gnocchi with the help of fried mushrooms. Thanks to the mushrooms, this dish will become even more satisfying.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes - 500 g
- Champignons - 300 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Flour - 150 g
- Salt, pepper - to taste
- Vegetable oil - 3-4 tablespoons
Step by step preparation of mushroom gnocchi:
- Peeling potatoes is not necessary for this recipe. You can boil it in your uniform.
- When the root vegetables have cooled, it is necessary to peel them and knead them with a crush until they are mashed.
- Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and flour to the potatoes.
- Knead a soft dough and leave to rest for a couple of minutes.
- Form small strips, which must later be cut into pieces.
- Shape the dumplings into a round shape and cut with a fork on both sides.
- Wash the mushrooms, pat dry with paper towels and chop coarsely.
- Put mushrooms in a hot frying pan with vegetable oil and fry until golden brown.
- Peel the onion and cut into half rings, add to the mushrooms, simmer until tender. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper.
- Boil the dumplings in boiling water. When they come up, remove them and add them to the mushrooms fried with onions.
- Hot mushroom gnocchi are especially tasty with the addition of butter and herbs.
Chicken gnocchi
This potato gnocchi recipe combines a side dish and a meat dish. As the Italians would say, the same pasta, only tastier.
Ingredients:
- Chicken meat - 150 g
- Potatoes - 300 g
- Cheese - 50 g
- Chicken broth - 1.5 l
- Chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
- Flour - 150 g
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to prepare chicken gnocchi step by step:
- Boil the potatoes in their skins, cool, remove the peel.
- Boil the chicken until tender. Leave the chicken broth in a saucepan - future gnocchi will be cooked in it.
- Mash vegetables with a fork, grate or scroll through a meat grinder.
- Finely chop the boiled chicken and add to the potatoes.
- Mix all ingredients in one saucepan and knead to a soft dough. It is necessary that it stick a little to your hands.
- Form into small dumplings.
- Bring the broth to a boil, salt and boil the gnocchi in it.
- For serving, it is recommended to decorate the dish with cheese shavings.
Gnocchi with cottage cheese
If you are looking for a more unusual or less high-calorie way to cook gnocchi, then this recipe will not leave you indifferent. In this case, the main ingredient for making Italian dumplings will be cottage cheese. This dish can also be pampered with children who do not like fermented milk products in their original form. It is recommended to pour the finished curd dumplings with berry jam, sour cream or condensed milk. Hearty and, importantly, healthy!
Ingredients:
- Cottage cheese - 250 g
- Flour - 130 g
- Cheese - 50 g
- Chicken egg - 1 pc.
- Salt (or sugar) - to taste
Step by step preparation of gnocchi with cottage cheese:
- Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve to soften it. You can beat a little with a blender until soft puree.
- Mix cheese, chicken egg, cottage cheese, salt (sugar), add flour in parts and knead into a soft dough.
- Divide it into strips, which must then be cut with a knife into pieces of equal size.
- Give the dumplings the desired shape.
- Boil water over a fire, add salt and dip the curd gnocchi into it.
- The most interesting thing is the serving of the dish. If you chose the sweet option, pour the finished dish with jam, condensed milk, sour cream, or simply garnish with berries and fruits. If you are not a big fan of sweets, you can pour the gnocchi with tomato sauce with basil and cilantro.
Gnocchi in creamy sauce
Let's complicate the task and add a great sauce to the Italian dish. By the way, it is suitable not only for dumplings, but also for any other pasta, potatoes and even vegetables.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes - 1 kg
- Chicken egg - 1 pc.
- Butter - 50 g
- Flour - 200 g
- Salt to taste
- Fat cream - 200 g
- Cheese - 100 g
- Greens - for serving
How to prepare gnocchi in creamy sauce step by step:
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into wedges, boil in salted water until soft.
- Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Add butter, salt, flour, egg to the puree and knead the elastic dough.
- Sprinkle the table with flour, roll out the dough and cut into strips 2-3 cm thick.
- Divide the strips into pieces of equal size, roll in flour and give them an oval shape.
- Boil the gnocchi until tender for 3-5 minutes.
- In a frying pan with high sides, heat the cream without boiling, add 2/3 of the cheese. Parmesan works best for this recipe.
- Stir the cream with the cheese and wait until it melts. Remove prepared sauce from heat.
- Pour the gnocchi with the creamy sauce, and to serve, sprinkle with herbs and the remaining amount of cheese on top.
Video recipes for gnocchi
As the French actress Catherine Deneuve said, “The Italian has only two thoughts in his head; the second is spaghetti. This is probably why it is believed that the inhabitants of this magical country are so playful and funny. From this we can conclude that Italian pasta, including gnocchi, for breakfast, lunch or dinner is the basis of a positive mood. Bon appetit to you and your household!
