Well, I made gnocchi last night for the first time. I’ve got to say, it is definitely a labor of love. Takes quite a bit of work to pull the whole thing together. I followed this recipe for shaping and forming the gnocchi. Instead of making concave and “swirly” gnocchis with “fins” or “grooves”, this recipe makes pillow shaped gnocchi with a dimple in the middle to catch the sauce.
Gnocchi with Red Meat Sauce
Sauce Ingredients
4 Italian sausages, cut into medallions
3 cans crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup Moscato wine
3 cloves minced garlic
10 large mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Gnocchi Ingredients
5 medium sized potatoes, unpeeled
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, well beaten
Sauce Preparation
In a large skillet, brown the Italian sausage medallions. You’ll need to turn the sausage often to brown all sides. It’s easiest to just shake the pan around to “swirl” the sausage around. Once browned, set aside in a covered bowl to keep warm.
Use 1/4 of the wine to deglaze the pan. Add onions and sauté on medium heat till tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 - 2 minutes (do not burn!). Add remaining wine to deglaze the pan once more.
Now add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, mushrooms, and sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour or more.
Gnocchi Preparation
Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled for 45 minutes or until tender when pierced. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes, or until you can handle them comfortably. Peel the potatoes and then “mash” or break apart with a fork. You can use a potato ricer here if you have one…..but I didn’t
Put the mashed/shredded potatoes into a large bowl and form a well. In the well, add the flour. Make another well in the flour and then add the well beaten egg. Begin mixing this together with a fork. Once it begins coming together, use a larger tool such as a potato masher, wooden spoon, or your well greased hands.
Work the dough into a large ball that is consistent and slightly firm. Try not to over-work it, but do make sure it is consistent throughout and sticking together firmly. Pick off a clump of dough about the size of a small lemon.
Roll Out: On a floured surface, roll that ball of dough out into a long thin strand about 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the strand into 1 inch “pillows”. Use your pinky (smallest finger) or the end of a wooden spoon to press down in the middle of each pillow to make a dent. You’ll need to flour or grease your finger to keep it from sticking. Place the finished gnocchi dumpling on a cookie sheet (it helps to use a fork to lift the gnocchi one at a time off the floured surface).
Repeat the “Roll Out” step until you have either used all the dough up, or you have made enough gnocchis for your meal.
Cooking: Once all the gnocchi has been made, start a large pot of well salted water to boil. When it reaches a rolling boil, add 8 – 10 gnocchi dumplings at a time. They are done once they begin to float. Once all gnocchi are floating, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon. You should remove them to a colander that is placed over another bowl so that they can drain.
Repeat the “Cooking” step until all gnocchi have been cooked. Each time a new batch is ready, transfer the drained gnocchi from your colander to a large bowl, and then place the new gnocchi in the colander so that they can drain as you cook a new batch. Keep the “finished gnocchi” in a covered bowl.
Notes
Once all the gnocchi has been cooked, you’re ready to eat if your sauce has simmered for an hour or so. If you started the sauce first, and then made the gnocchi, then your sauce has indeed simmered for an hour or more!
Plate 8 or so gnocchi on the plate. I like to plate them in a circle and leave a small gap in the center where I can pile on the sausage and mushroom. Drizzle sauce all over the gnocchis and then serve. I like garlic bread and broccoli and cheese with this.
This recipe is how I did it for the first time. I used 5 medium potatoes and that was too much! I should have used only 3. That would also require a reduction in the flour to about 3/4 cup or so. I had about half of my gnocchi dough left over after having made a cookie sheet full of gnocchis (about 50 – 60). 5 medium potatoes will make nearly 100 or more gnocchis, so take that into consideration.
The Moscato wine is a very “wet” (sweet) wine that added nice flavor. Most will add sugar to their sauces, but in using a Moscato, you don’t need to. If you don’t like a subtle sweet taste to your sauce, then use a drier white wine of your choosing (Chardonnay for example).
Here are some pics.
Gnocchi with Red Meat Sauce
Sauce Ingredients
4 Italian sausages, cut into medallions
3 cans crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup Moscato wine
3 cloves minced garlic
10 large mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Gnocchi Ingredients
5 medium sized potatoes, unpeeled
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, well beaten
Sauce Preparation
In a large skillet, brown the Italian sausage medallions. You’ll need to turn the sausage often to brown all sides. It’s easiest to just shake the pan around to “swirl” the sausage around. Once browned, set aside in a covered bowl to keep warm.
Use 1/4 of the wine to deglaze the pan. Add onions and sauté on medium heat till tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 - 2 minutes (do not burn!). Add remaining wine to deglaze the pan once more.
Now add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, mushrooms, and sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour or more.
Gnocchi Preparation
Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled for 45 minutes or until tender when pierced. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes, or until you can handle them comfortably. Peel the potatoes and then “mash” or break apart with a fork. You can use a potato ricer here if you have one…..but I didn’t
Put the mashed/shredded potatoes into a large bowl and form a well. In the well, add the flour. Make another well in the flour and then add the well beaten egg. Begin mixing this together with a fork. Once it begins coming together, use a larger tool such as a potato masher, wooden spoon, or your well greased hands.
Work the dough into a large ball that is consistent and slightly firm. Try not to over-work it, but do make sure it is consistent throughout and sticking together firmly. Pick off a clump of dough about the size of a small lemon.
Roll Out: On a floured surface, roll that ball of dough out into a long thin strand about 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the strand into 1 inch “pillows”. Use your pinky (smallest finger) or the end of a wooden spoon to press down in the middle of each pillow to make a dent. You’ll need to flour or grease your finger to keep it from sticking. Place the finished gnocchi dumpling on a cookie sheet (it helps to use a fork to lift the gnocchi one at a time off the floured surface).
Repeat the “Roll Out” step until you have either used all the dough up, or you have made enough gnocchis for your meal.
Cooking: Once all the gnocchi has been made, start a large pot of well salted water to boil. When it reaches a rolling boil, add 8 – 10 gnocchi dumplings at a time. They are done once they begin to float. Once all gnocchi are floating, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon. You should remove them to a colander that is placed over another bowl so that they can drain.
Repeat the “Cooking” step until all gnocchi have been cooked. Each time a new batch is ready, transfer the drained gnocchi from your colander to a large bowl, and then place the new gnocchi in the colander so that they can drain as you cook a new batch. Keep the “finished gnocchi” in a covered bowl.
Notes
Once all the gnocchi has been cooked, you’re ready to eat if your sauce has simmered for an hour or so. If you started the sauce first, and then made the gnocchi, then your sauce has indeed simmered for an hour or more!
Plate 8 or so gnocchi on the plate. I like to plate them in a circle and leave a small gap in the center where I can pile on the sausage and mushroom. Drizzle sauce all over the gnocchis and then serve. I like garlic bread and broccoli and cheese with this.
This recipe is how I did it for the first time. I used 5 medium potatoes and that was too much! I should have used only 3. That would also require a reduction in the flour to about 3/4 cup or so. I had about half of my gnocchi dough left over after having made a cookie sheet full of gnocchis (about 50 – 60). 5 medium potatoes will make nearly 100 or more gnocchis, so take that into consideration.
The Moscato wine is a very “wet” (sweet) wine that added nice flavor. Most will add sugar to their sauces, but in using a Moscato, you don’t need to. If you don’t like a subtle sweet taste to your sauce, then use a drier white wine of your choosing (Chardonnay for example).
Here are some pics.