Handmade gnocchi which can be used in countless dishes, such as with a ragù, gnocchi al gorgonzola, fish...
Ingredients
- ~ 4 medium sized potatoes
- 200g of plain flour
- 1 large egg
- salt
Method
Put the unpeeled potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a simmer over a medium heat until the potatoes are softened.
While they are still hot peel them and squeeze them through a ricer into an even layer across the work surface and leave them to cool.
Then add a pinch of salt and a little bit of flour at a time while mixing. Gather it all together and form a well in the centre.
Crack the egg into the well and beat it before folding it into the mixture. Kneed it gently until the dough is homogenous but still slightly sticky. Be sure not to overwork the dough or the gnocchi will become tough when cooked.
Re-flour the work surface and slice off a chunk of the dough. Use your palms to roll it into a long sausage shape of ~1-2cm in diameter, then form a long U-shape with it so two gnocchi can be cut at a time. Use the knife to slice the dough into gnocchi, which should be about 1-2cm in length. Repeat this with chunks of the dough until it has all been sliced into gnocchi. Re-flour the work surface each time to mke sure the dough doesn't stick.
For aesthetics, and to make sure they cook evenly, you can lightly roll each of the gnocchi across the tines of a fork with your thumb. This flattens then curls them while creating a rigged pattern across the surface.
At this point the gnocchi can be frozen immediately in a zip lock bag if you want to save them for later, or cooked freshly within a couple of hours of making them.
To cook, bring a pot of water to the boil on a high heat. Once boiling, the gnocchi can be added in small batches. They will sink at first and are cooked when they rise to the surface. Remove the floating gnocchi with a skimmer or slotted spoon before adding another batch, until they're all cooked.
