Cooking with Chickens! (#2): Gnocchi

Gnocchi (aka. gnocchi di patata) are little potato dumplings that are eaten like pasta (i.e. with sugo or cheese). They are a tasty Italian treat that can't be beat and is one of little cp's favorites. FYI It is pronounced "nee-yo-kee" and comes from the word "nocchio" which means a knot in wood (as in Pinnochio). From what I understand, in Toscana (Tuscany) some call them "topini" which means little mice (as in Topo Gigio). I don't really advise ordering them as that anywhere else though.

Ingredients:
1kg (2.2lbs) potatoes
1 egg
300g (11oz.) flour
salted water

This video is OK recipe-wise, but is clearly Inglese in its approach. First you don't have to use rock salt, regular salt is fine. Basically, make some mashed potatoes. But, no extras like milk or butter. You can season it if you really want to but if you boiled them in salted water you probably won't need any more salt (or anything really, maybe some salt in the water when you boil the gnocchi if you want), mix in egg and flour to make dough. Sometimes if people want to get fancy they add things to the dough like spinach puree or tomato, but that's pretty crazy. Anyway, you cut the dough into gnocchi by rolling a small portion into a finger-thick string and chop them off. In the video they leave them like that (Blasphemy!), but I assume it is because of how they served them with oil). It's much better if you shape them. We squish and roll each one with two fingers to make a folded indent, which makes some texture to catch the sauce. Some people roll them onto a fork (or gnocchi board), over the zester side of a 4-sided cheese grater, or whatever. It's all good as long as it's done with love (and preferably painstakingly).

Now, the biggest thing that can go wrong is to over boil them. If you do that, they might turn to rubber, sludge, or even disintegrate (depending on how long you boiled them and the consistency of the dough you started with). It's best not to boil too many at a time because they will float when they are ready to come out. Also, some people fry them (with onions, etc. like perogies) instead of boiling, but I've never had them like that. As for serving, I've never seen anyone eat them with olive oil like in the video, but I assume that is why he didn't shape the gnocchi at all (as I said, the shaping process is to make it so the gnocchi will catch and hold sauce, but who wants to eat dumplings with puddles of oil in them?). We always eat it with tomato sauce or with butter and Parmigiano. But, to each their own I suppose. So there you have it! Buon Appetito! Next time, Nonna's chicken soupa...or maybe sugo...whichever I feel like.