(Potato Gnocchi Roman Style)

By Mike Perrotta, Wild Thyme Café, Nanton

Gnocchi di Patate PDF

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

4 ½ pounds russet potatoes

salt

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 egg yolks

melted butter

grated parmesan cheese

Method:

• Wash, but do not peel the potatoes.  Boil them in salted water until soft.
• Remove potatoes from pot, now peel and mash them in a large bowl until quite smooth.
• Add flour and salt to taste.
• Beat in the egg yolks and mix to a firm dough.
• Break dough into pieces and shape them into long rolls, about the thickness of your finger.
• Cut the rolls into pieces about 1 inch long.
• Press each piece against a lightly floured cheese grater to make a sickle shape then spread out on to a pastry board or table to dry.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the gnocchi a few at a time.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove gnocchi as they rise to the surface, then drain well.
• Put them directly onto a hot dish and dress with melted butter and Parmesan cheese.

Alternative: Gnocchi can also be dressed with either meat gravy or your favourite tomato sauce.

Gnocchi is best served right away or within a couple of hours. Don’t refrigerate fresh gnocchi for more than two or three hours, as they may become soggy. They can also be frozen for later use.

Italian born Mike Perrotta worked in Switzerland for 10 years, where he trained as a chef, before coming to Canada in 1976. He operated two restaurants in Calgary, Pinocchio Pizzeria and De Michelangelo. In 2006 he made a lifestyle choice and moved to Nanton where and opened The Wild Thyme Café. He has not looked back.