Gnocchi are not only a delicious Mediterranean dish, but the culture behind them is so rich that cooking and eating them is as much a pleasure for the palate as it is for the learning appetite.
Although the most common version known around the world and in Italy are made from potatoes, there is also Gnocchi Alla Romana made from semolina, Cannederli a typical dish from north Italy which is made from bread crumbs and similar to Knödel, which is a side dish common in Germany and Austria.
There are types of Gnocchi big and small, simple and stuffed with all kinds of fillings, and often mixed with colored vegetables not only to enrich their flavor and nutritional value, but also to make them look nicer.
Although typically Italian, it is also traditional in countries with Italian influence like Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. And it is precisely there (or at least in Argentina, as far as I know) where there is a curious tradition of eating Gnocchi on the 29th day of each month.One of the possible origins of this tradition comes from the Veneto, the Italian northeastern Region where Venice is situated. In the 8th century, a pilgrim doctor named Pantaleone starving in his journey on a 29th was receieved by contadini (farmers) to share their bread based poor meal and, in return, Pantaleone predicted a year of great crops and fishing that became true. Pantaleone is an important Saint of Venice, although St Marcus is the actual patron of the city.
Being a cheap food, Gnocchi also has a background as Cucina Povera (the “cuisine” of the poor) meaning that many of the variations of it were made out of the necessity to overcome food and money shortage, rather than gourmet projects.
One of the things that I like about Cucina Povera is that a daily reinvention of the dish is already part of the culture behind it. So, following the Cucina Povera spirit, I decided to create my own version of Broccoli Gnocchi.
Broccoli Gnocchi with Cheese sauce
Ingredients for the gnocchi
- 200g (7 Oz) of broccoli
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of flour
Directions for the gnocchi
- Chop the broccoli in pieces and boil or steam until tender,
- Cut the potatoes in pieces and boil them until tender,
- Smash the potatoes and let them reach room temperature or slightly above,
- Pass the broccoli through the food processor or chop it in very small pieces,
- Save about a spoon of grated broccoli for decoration and mix the rest with the potatoes,
- Add the egg and the flour, add more flour if needed, but don’t let it become too dry, ideally it should stick to the hand,
- Put flour on a clean surface and roll the mix to form long and slightly thick pieces,
- Cut them into small pieces and cook them in abundant boiling water, the Gnocchi are going to sink, but they’ll float as soon as they are ready, collect them from the surface and prepare them to serve.
Ingredients for the sauce
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 50g (~2 Oz) of grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Directions for the sauce
- Mix well the flour with the cold or room-temperature milk,
- Add the salt and pepper,
- Cook it on low flame mixing slowly and constantly until it starts to thicken,
- Add the grated cheese and mix until it melts and pour over the Gnocchi,
- Add the extra broccoli you saved for decoration.
Serves: 2/3
9 Comments
I had no idea that Gnocchi was so easy to make — now I know what to cook for supper tonight!
Hi Jen.
The most difficult part is to resist to the temptation to keep adding flour what would make them dry and tasteless. It is a little harder to work with the moist dough, but it worths the extra work.
And share your dinner with us on the Mediterrasina Flick Pool
Ha, presentation / photography is not my strong suit, Gui! And now I’ve come across your rice souffle recipe, there’s a little change of plan…
With the sticky gnocchi dough, would a bit of olive oil on the fingertips do anything to make handling it a bit easier, do you know?
@Jen / domestika -
It does help, go for it.
But since the Gnocchi will be covered in the flour that you’ll spread on the table you can even manage not to overly dirt the hands without it.
Just pour the dough on the table with a wooden spoon and work it touching only on floured parts
Just remember this extra flour shouldn’t be mixed in the Gnocchi at the risk of becoming too dry.
Good, thanks, I’ll try it with a bit of flour (not mixed in) and let you know how I make out…
This looks/sounds delicious. Do you think that when you post recipes, you could use American measurements as well (ounces, cups, etc.)? I’m more prone to try recipes when I don’t have to make the conversions myself (if it weren’t for having three little kids, it wouldn’t be a problem, but time is definitely an issue in this season of my life!).
@Sage - That’s indeed a good idea. I had already started to do that for newer posts, I’ve just updated this one to include the American measures.
I’d never had gnocci before, but now I love them. The recipe is so simple, yet so tasty! I was especially impressed with the sauce. I’m used to making a more traditional roux for creamy sauces, so I’m very excited to find one that is lower in fat without losing any of the flavor.
@Aleithia - I’m glad to know you like it so much