Last week, Jill and I walked over to a friends house for a dinner party with the gang. A bottle of Pelee Island Winery‘s Late Harvest Vidal in one hand and a vanilla/rosemary concoction in another (more on that tomorrow).
Entering the house late, as usual, we arrived just as the servings were being plated. The first course was an amazing plate of homemade gnocchi from the personal recipe of Lila’s Nonna. The sauce consisted of sautéed strawberry tomatoes with a touch of garlic and oregano. It took an hour of preparation, but, I believe it was well worth Lila slaving over the oven for it. Thanks Lila!
Lila was kind enough to share her Nonna’s recipe:
Nonna Emma’s Gnocchi
- 1 (1-pound) russet potato
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten to blend
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
First, pierce the potato all over with a fork. Microwave the potato (I’m sure boiling is just as effective) until tender, turning once. Cut the potato in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin.
Using a fork, mash the potato then mash in the salt and pepper. Mix 3 tablespoons of the egg and discard the remaining egg. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and knead just until blended.
Divide the dough into 3-4 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your palms and the work surface into a 1/2-inch rope. Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough.
Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 1 minute. Continue cooking until the gnocchi are tender, about 3-4 minutes longer.
Each Pound of Potato Yields 2-3 servings.
