Gnocchi

Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings. The best-known kind is made from cooked potato, flour and sometimes egg, rolled into ropes and cut into pillows. They are boiled briefly and served with a sauce, such as tomato, pesto or brown butter with sage. Gnocchi can also be made from ricotta, semolina or squash.

How to do it

1. Bake or boil about 1 kg (2 lb) of floury potatoes such as russets (baking potatoes in the UK) in their skins until very tender.
2. Peel them while hot and push them through a ricer onto the counter. Let the steam escape for a few minutes.
3. Sprinkle on about 250 g (2 cups) of flour, a pinch of salt and one egg if you use it.
4. Bring it together gently with a bench scraper and your hands. Stop as soon as it forms a soft dough that does not stick.
5. Roll pieces into ropes about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick and cut into 2 cm lengths. Roll over a fork for ridges if you like.
6. Boil in well-salted water. When they float, cook 30 to 60 seconds more, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.
7. Toss straight into the sauce, or fry them in butter until golden.

How to tell it is done

Cooked gnocchi float to the top and feel light and tender, not doughy, when you bite one. Test one before shaping the whole batch. If it falls apart, add a little more flour.

How to store it

Freeze uncooked gnocchi in a single layer on a floured tray, a flash freeze, then bag them. Cook from frozen. Fresh gnocchi left in the fridge turn sticky within hours.

Common mistakes

• Waxy or boiled-wet potatoes. They need more flour, which makes gnocchi heavy.
• Using a blender or food processor. It makes the potato gluey.
• Kneading too much. It develops gluten and gives chewy gnocchi.
• Crowding the pot. They stick and cool the water.

In recipes

The singular is gnocco, but you will almost always see the plural. Gnudi are ricotta and spinach dumplings with very little flour. Store-bought gnocchi are firmer and work well pan-fried.