With origins dating back to ancient times, gnocchi hold a prominent place in Italian culinary history, where it has been passed down through generations as a cherished comfort food. Today, it continues to be an essential part of Italian cuisine, adopting different names depending on the origin.
Gnocchi (pronounced no-kee) are soft dumplings that may be made from wheat flour, rice, semolina, ricotta cheese, potatoes, or breadcrumbs. Gnocchi are made throughout Italy, but the stuffed version is made mainly in the Piedmont region. The key to making delicate potato gnocchi is to add as little flour as possible but enough to keep the dough together. The filling should have a robust flavor so that it stands out from the potato dough.
For our stuffed gnocchi today, I’m making an Asiago/ricotta filling served in a meaty Bolognese sauce. Yum!
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- 170 gm (about 6oz) starchy potatoes
- 3 cups flour
- 6-9 Tbsp Asiago (finely grated)+Ricotta cheese
- 6 Tbsp butter,
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 454 gm ground beef
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 796 ml (28 oz) seasoned, diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water or beef broth
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Ingredients
Stuffed Gnocchi
Bolognese Sauce
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- Boil the whole potatoes with their skins until you can easily pierce them all the way through (about 20-25 minutes, depending on the dimension of the potatoes), then wash them with cold water & remove the skin when they are still warm.
- Mash the potatoes while they are still warm & make sure there are no chunks; add a pinch of salt and ¾ of the flour. Mix well with your hands until a nice soft dough forms (but not sticky); if necessary, add some more flour. When the dough is ready, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest & cool for about 10-15 minutes. In a small dish, combine finely grated Asiago with ricotta cheese.
- Cut the dough into 3 or 4 parts, take 1 part and cover the rest with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry. Dust the cutting board with flour & roll the dough with your palm to make a long thick cord about 2 cm in diameter, then cut chunks 2 cm long.
- Roll each cube between your palms to make balls then press them on your palm to make a disc. With a teaspoon, place a small amount of cheese in the center of the disc and close it on itself (make sure to cover the cheese well and close all the holes), roll it again between your palm to make the ball smooth & set it aside on a clean cloth.
- Bring to boil a large pot of salted water then slowly drop the gnocchi in & cook until they float on the surface. Drain, reserving 1 cup of starchy water. In a pan melt the butter and carefully add the drained gnocchi to sauté a little bit. Remove from pan, place in a dish until Bolognese sauce is ready.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add diced celery, carrot & onion. Cook until veggies are soft tender. Add ground beef & let cook, breaking it apart until fully browned. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in garlic & cook until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water or stock, bay leaves & crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer & cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves.
- Add cooked gnocchi to Bolognese sauce & stream in reserved gnocchi water as needed if the mixture is too thick. Cook for an additional minute or so, taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.