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Gnocchi, a small dumpling, is a popular Italian dish made with potatoes, flour, squash, cheese, or polenta. It is served with sauce or butter and sage or parmesan. Gnocchi recipes date back to the 12th century and are popular in Brazil. Purists prepare gnocchi by hand, but prepackaged varieties are also available.
Connoisseurs of good Italian food know that gnocchi is a small dumpling. In fact, the word in Italian means “lump”. This dumpling is most often made with potatoes, though it can also be made with flour, squash, cheese, or even polenta. Gnocchi is served the same way as pasta, with a sauce or butter and sage or parmesan.
Gnocchi recipes date back to the 12th century and are more common in the northern regions of Italy. Believe it or not, these dumplings are very popular in Brazil where people enjoy Italian food in general. While not as popular as pasta in the United States, Americans enjoy dumplings too. Indeed, the best Italian restaurants have at least one dish on the menu.
Purists prepare their potato dumplings by hand. First they wash and boil the potatoes. After they are cooked and cooled, the potatoes are peeled and passed through a potato ricer. It’s important not to puree the potatoes, as they will become rubbery and difficult to work with. Once the potatoes are processed, flour and salt are added to make a paste.
The dough is rolled out into long cylindrical pieces which are cut into bite-sized pieces. The morsels are rolled up by a fork, giving them the reason wavy dumplings are famous for. A special “dumpling table” can also be used for this purpose. Dumplings must be added to boiling water immediately after cutting. For best results, they should be cooked fresh as they don’t keep well.
To cook the dumplings, gently drop the dumplings into boiling water. When the dumplings float to the top of the water, they’re ready. This process should only take a few minutes; no more than two to three minutes and the dumplings will begin to fall apart in the water.
Dumplings can be served in many different ways. One way is to saute some garlic in some butter and pour it over the dumplings. Tomato, pesto, and alfredo sauces also work well with this dish. Gnocchi are also tasty with vegetables such as aubergines, asparagus or artichokes.
If the dumplings are too ambitious to make yourself, fear not. Prepackaged varieties are also available at your local supermarket. Buy with sauce already included or find a recipe of your own. Either way, you are sure to enjoy a delicious treat.
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