Three recipes for potato gnocchi: with sausage and pepper sauce, garlic-shoot pesto, or gorgonzola and gnocchi gratin
Easy to make, easier to eat, these little Italian dumplings are a highly versatile variety of pasta. Susan Jung knocks out some gnocchi
When it comes to making your own pasta, gnocchi is among the easiest. These small Italian dumplings don't require any special equipment other than a ricer - a useful kitchen tool that looks like a large garlic press - and you can make a lot fairly quickly. Different types of starch can be used but the kinds of gnocchi we encounter most often, at least in restaurants, are made with potato.
Potato gnocchi (pictured)
Gnocchi made without egg are lighter and more delicate, although the dough is a little harder to work with. You can add an egg if you like but, if you do, you'll need to add more flour, too. Use a ricer to crush the potatoes to give them the lightest texture.
You don't have to cook all the gnocchi at once. After they've been shaped, lay the excess in one layer on a baking tray lined with plastic wrap and freeze, then put them in a plastic bag and seal. Don't thaw before cooking; just boil for a few extra minutes.
750 grams (about three) baking potatoes
1 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra for the water
About 120 grams plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for shaping the dough