Gnocchi

Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings, most often potato gnocchi made from boiled potatoes and soft wheat flour. Every region shapes them its own way: the Accademia Italiana della Cucina records gnocchi from Parma, Liguria and Sorrento, and shop-bought ones cook in about 2 minutes, as soon as they float. ⁴¹²⁷

The Parma recipe. For 4 the Accademia mashes 600 g of boiled potatoes with 100 g of flour, 80 g of melted butter, an egg and salt. ¹ The dough is rolled into finger-thick ropes, cut every 3 cm and pressed with the thumb over the back of a grater for ridges, then left to dry for about two hours on a floured cloth. ¹ They boil about ten minutes and are layered with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano; in Piacenza they get mushroom ragù or butter with sage. ¹

The Ligurian way. For 6 the Accademia uses 1 kg of floury potatoes boiled in their skins, 200 g of flour and one yolk. ² Pieces the size of a die are dragged with the thumb across the board into little curls, boiled, lifted out with a slotted spoon and dressed with pesto. ²

Gnocchi alla sorrentina. In Campania 800 g of gnocchi for 4 are drained as soon as they float, dressed in a baking dish with thick tomato sauce and Parmigiano, covered with 250 g of fiordilatte, more sauce and basil, and baked a few minutes at 240 °C. ³ Divella sells conical, ribbed, hollow «gnocchi napoletani» for this dish. ¹³

A map of Italian gnocchi. Emilia-Romagna's list of traditional products includes potato gnocchi of Parma and Forlì-Cesena and the breadcrumb «pisarei» of Piacenza. ⁵ The national list adds chestnut gnocchi and curly «gnocchi ricci» in Lazio, pumpkin gnocchi in Lombardy, the «gnocco di Verona» and Sardinian gnocchetti. ⁶

Shop-bought gnocchi. Rummo makes its gnocchi from 100% Italian fresh potatoes with deep ridges to hold the sauce; they cook in 2 minutes, like its naturally gluten-free version. ⁷⁸ De Cecco also gives 2 minutes and sells gnocchi, chicche and tronchetti. ⁴ Divella's fresh potato gnocchi give 156 kcal, 5.2 g of protein and 1.4 g of salt per 100 g. ¹¹ Wheat-flour gnocchi contain gluten, and home recipes add egg. ¹⁵¹

Sauces. De Cecco suggests ragù, pesto alla genovese, creamy cheese sauces or simply melted butter, sage and parmigiano. ⁴ Rummo's butter and sage for 2 uses 500 g of gnocchi and 125 g of butter browned with sage leaves; its «gnocchi à la poêle» are boiled, then browned in butter and served with a fontina fondue. ⁹¹⁰

Gnocchi vs pasta and gnudi. Fresh potato gnocchi are lighter than dry pasta: Divella's give 156 kcal per 100 g against 355 for its dry semolina «gnocchi» shape, which is a pasta and cooks in 7 minutes. ¹¹¹² Tuscany's «gnudi», on the other hand, are ricotta-and-greens dumplings listed apart in the national register. ⁶

Why it matters to you. For homemade gnocchi, use floury potatoes boiled in their skins, add just enough flour and shape them while warm. ²¹ Cook them until they float, about 2 minutes for packaged ones, and dress them simply with butter and sage or a tomato sauce. ⁷⁹³ Check the label for wheat and egg. ¹⁵