Homemade Gnocchi

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Homemade gnocchi.  I will forever remember October, 2011.   Not only because that was when we got married, but when we arrived home from our honeymoon, still being in the honeymoon mood, I offered to make my husband homemade gnocchi.  All was going well, although the kitchen looked like a cyclone hit it, when all of a sudden the power went out.  Little did we know, the power would be out for the following 13 days!  Hurricane Sandy had hit NJ pretty hard.  I had to salvage whatever gnocchi I had already boiled, pack up the dough I had yet to boil, and try to clean the kitchen as best as I could in the dark, before heading over to my mom’s house.

I always had an obsession with gnocchi- that pillowy pasta goodness that no other pasta has. With minimal ingredients, I figured why not try it? So I did, again and again. My favorite way to serve it is with homemade tomato sauce (made from Jovial Organic Crushed Tomatoes– from Italy, in a GLASS jar!). Sometimes I’ll sprinkle parmesan, sometimes feta for some creamy and saltiness. No matter how I dress up my gnocchi, the taste is still amazing.

I also learned that the key to getting the potatoes to the right consistency was to bake them, NOT boil them.  Also, a giant potato ricer definitely helps!

An Gnocchi Stripper with Paddle helps create lines, versus using a fork.

This is the recipe I followed (I doubled it):

Ingredients
2 organic russet potatoes (you can use yukon gold as well)
2 cups of organic white all purpose flour
1 organic egg

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425.  Wash the potatoes.  Once dry, place them on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven.  Bake for approximately 40 or until slightly overcooked.
2. Let the potatoes cool, cut in half and scoop the potato out of the skin.  Place the potato inside the potato ricer and rice into a large bowl. (If you don’t have a ricer, mash the potatoes until smooth.)
2. Combine the potato with the flour and egg. Knead until dough forms a ball. Roll small portions of the dough into long “snakes”. On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.  If you have a Gnocchi Stripper with Paddle, you can roll the gnocchi on the surface to create lines.  You can also do this by rolling the gnocchi on a fork. (The lines are optional but they help keep the sauce on the pasta)
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.