Even on the hottest summer day, there is always room for a delightful and warm plate of pasta in our hearts and, of course, our stomachs.
One of the easiest and quickest pasta dishes to make at home and fulfill our desire of eating a rich plate of carbs is gnocchi. This is not only a delicious dish, but it is also really cheap and you can make it in no time.
Today, we bring you a super easy-to-make gnocchi recipe that you will love, and a sauce idea to enhance this simple yet incredible pasta dish.
For even more tasty gnocchi recipe ideas, you may want to visit olivieri.ca/gnocchi-recipes/
So… Where did gnocchi come from?
Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk a little bit about gnocchi.
There are stories that claim that gnocchi date back to Ancient Rome, where it was made with semolina, milk or water and seasoned with pepper and honey. Others claim that this recipe dates from the Renaissance, in Italy. Since that time, gnocchi has been shaped into different forms and suffered multiple variations in its recipe.
The potato gnocchi we know today is believed to be first made in Northern Italy, where mashed potatoes were combined with flour, forming bite-size balls of dough. This dish is so versatile that any sauce pairs perfectly well with it.
Easy and basic gnocchi recipe
In order to make basic gnocchi you only need a few ingredients; it is a really versatile recipe so set your imagination free and try as many possibilities as you can!
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes.
- 100 gr flour.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Nutmeg to taste.
How to make it
- First, you are going to boil the potatoes, with their skin, in cold water in a large pot. Cover them with plenty of water and bring them to a boil. After the water is boiling, leave the potatoes in the water for twenty to twenty-five minutes, or until they are tender enough.
- After the potatoes are cooked, let them cool. This is really important, it will prevent you from burning and it will help develop more starch to make better gnocchi. Once the potatoes are cooled, remove their skin.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, and try using a large bowl to have more room to work. Season your potatoes with nutmeg, pepper and salt.
- Now is the time to move to your countertop. Sprinkle some flour over it and add your mashed potatoes. Add flour and knead for a few minutes until you can make a dough that does not stick to your hands.
- Roll your dough and cut little balls about 2 cm thick. Sprinkle them with a little extra flour so that the gnocchi don’t stick to each other.
- To cook the gnocchi, put water with salt in a large pot on the stove and let it boil. After the water is boiling, add the gnocchi. Cook them for two minutes, or until they float. Once they float, leave them for about thirty seconds and take them out.
- Add your cooked gnocchi to a pan with the sauce, whatever sauce you want, and finish cooking them there. Now is the time to serve and enjoy!
Sauce idea: tomato and basil sauce
So as to enhance this basic and versatile gnocchi recipe, we want to share a delicious tomato and basil sauce with you.
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove.
- A can of chopped tomatoes.
- 1 tablespoon of tomato purée.
- 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Basil leaves.
- Olive oil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Grated cheese.
- Water from the gnocchi.
How to make it
- To start, heat a pan on the stove and add some olive oil.
- Finely chop your garlic and add it to the pan when it’s hot enough. Stir-fry for a minute.
- Add a can of tomatoes and a tablespoon of sugar. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about five minutes, or until it thickens a little bit.
- Add some basil leaves, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Add some of the pasta cooking water to the sauce and add your gnocchi as well to the sauce. Let it all cook for about a minute or two, grate some cheese on top, and now your gnocchi are ready to be served!