Gnocchi - recipe for Italian dumplings

Gnocchi, the recipe of which has been favorably received by the cuisines of not only European countries, deservedly enjoyed popularity. This is explained simply: the ease and variety of cooking options allow this miracle of cooking to become both a daily and a festive dish.

Ingredients of the European "boot"

The Italian gnocchi can only be called conditionally, because they are due to the origins of the culinary specialists of Ancient Rome. At that time, their main ingredients were manna dough and eggs. But penetration into Europe after the discovery of America's new vegetable crops has made significant adjustments to the classic recipe. Today, potato gnocchi are very popular with housewives, as well as with chefs of elite restaurants.

This dish in its modern sense is considered conditionally vegetarian. That allows you to actively use in their preparation of pumpkin, eggplant, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes or mushrooms. Conventionality in the classical version of gnocchi, the recipe of which will be described below, is made by eggs, cheese, and also chicken meat.

Connecting cultures

Potato gnocchi are considered a traditional kind of this dish. Their advantage in comparison with other recipes of Italian cuisine is that they are extremely simple both in cooking and in what they consist of.

So, for the preparation of gnocchi for a family dinner, you need a kilogram of potatoes, five hundred grams of flour of solid grades and an egg. This simplified composition is explained quite simply: the dish was invented by simple farmers who do not sometimes have a rich assortment of products. The same circumstance determines the time of preparation: only forty minutes will be required to cook for the relatives gnocchi.

The recipe for the preparation is as follows. All the potatoes are carefully washed and boiled in a peel. Further it should be cooled to a temperature at which the tubers can already be kept in hands. After that they get rid of the "uniform" and rub.

As soon as the whole kilogram is converted into a single mass, an egg, salt and flour are added to it. All thoroughly mixed with hands, seeking a complete absence of lumps. As a result, you should get a kind of potato dough that does not stick to your hands.

The resulting mass is divided into four equal parts, each of which should be rolled into a thumb-thick tourniquet. Then it is cut into small pieces about three centimeters wide.

The resulting dumplings should be lowered into boiling salted water and cook until cooked. Typically, this process takes about five minutes.

Little tricks

Gnocchi, recipe Which was presented above, can easily be transformed. And start with the list of ingredients.

So, instead of potatoes mistresses use cottage cheese or a pumpkin. Or supplement the classic set of products with boiled chopped mushrooms, chopped spinach, broccoli, baked eggplants or boiled chicken meat.

Instead of flour of solid varieties, you should try corn or "return to the roots" and use the manga.

In addition, you can serve gnocchi on a table not only with butter, but also use various sauces, for example, béchamel or tomato, having decorated them with grated cheese.

In conclusion, it should be noted that cooked according to the above recipe gnocchi it is desirable to always cook immediately after their formation. But if they are more than necessary, then you can freeze them, pre-shifted to a dish, sprinkled with flour.