homemade gnocchi

[drcmk]

I've never made gnocchi, but my nine year old daughter loves it and I promised her we'd make it together. Does anyone have an EASY recipe? I don't have a potato ricer. Is it absolutely necessary?

TIA

[cheesemonger]

I always bake russets, then scrape the innards out, not using the skins. I don't rice, just whiz it the the food processor for a minute.

One problem I've seen in homemade gnocchi is overworking it. Work with it just enough to incorporate the ingredients and quickly roll out into 1/2 thick "logs", then cut into 3/4 inch lengths. Otherwise it can get too tough.

[yayadave]

That's a great idea. Sounds like you could just go ahead and make the dough in the food processor, too.

[piccola]

You can try semolina gnocchi: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
They're really easy to make, pretty much like polenta.

[seattledebs]

I made my own gnocchi last year for the first time. Search back a ways on this Home Cooking board; there are lots of good threads about it. Whoever suggested using *white* potatoes was right; otherwise you end up fishing out bits of potato. I didn't use a potato ricer; I just mushed it up by hand, which was fun and therapeutic. I'd skip the potato flakes; why not use fresh potatoes? They seem healthier and easier to digest.

So, at a restaurant in Portland this weekend (Daily Cafe), I had acorn squash gnocchi. They were delicious! Has anyone made gnocchi out of winter squash? I could make up a recipe, but would love to learn from your mistakes, er, I mean life experience first.

seattledebs
www.gofrolic.org

[Adrienne]

I found that adding a cup of pumpkin to a ricotta gnocchi recipe worked perfectly, and I'm sure you could do the same with any starchy vegetable simply by pureeing it first and then adding it in. Let me know if you need a recipe to start with.

[markabauman]

One of the little tricks whether making squash gnocchi or ravioli is to first roast the squash, then puree, then put it in a piece of cheescloth or strainer over a bowl and let as much water drain out as possible-give it a few hours or overnight. Add a little grated nutmeg, optional egg and just enough flour to hold the dough together before rolling out into ropes, cutting and shaping.

[LNG212]

I've made gnocci using roasted acorn squash. It's great and I bet it would work with whatever type of winter squash you like/have. It's basically halve the squash, splash it with olive oil and roast until it's spoonable out of it's shell (i.e. really soft). Then I added a dash of balsamic vinegar, some parmigiano reggiano, salt & pepper and (little by little) enough flour for it to come to a dough. But be careful not to overwork it -- I think that's what makes the gnocchi tough so I try to handle it as little as possible. Then proceed as with regular gnocci -- role out snakes, cut into pieces, etc. I think you can also mix the roasted squash with potato if you don't care for the big (even sweet) taste of the squash. Oh, and I served the acorn squash gnocchi with a sage & butter sauce.

[seattledebs]

Thank you all; these suggestions are great! I think I'll try it. Maybe I'll use some of those porcinis I dried and some sage and parmesan.

[yannie]

You could try a ricotta gnocchi...skip the potato altogether.

[Den]

You can easily find a recipe on www.foodtv.com

It's really simple though just russets, flour, egg and salt. I also find that baking vs boiling the potatoes provides a lighter dough. A ricer isn't essential but helpful. You can also use a sieve if you don't have one.

[Amanita]

Wow, I never thought of using instant mashed potatoes. Must have overdosed on them as a child. I made spinach gnocchi once but only once because it's so time-consuming when you cooked and riced real potatoes. Still, you might consider adding something green to the allrecipes link below.

[Antilope]

Here's one from Allrecipes.com that uses instant potato flakes. It has good user reviews:

Quick Gnocchi
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-Gn...