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How to make gnocchi like an Italian

October 4, 2018 | Michael Turtle | 12 Comments

ITALIAN FOOD

Recipe for gnocchi

I’ve always been a bit confused by gnocchi. It’s not something I had ever cooked – just something I would occasionally eat at Italian restaurants. I never understood, though, where the potato was. Was the whole thing made of potato or was it inside some dough, like tiny ravioli?

Well, now I have the answer. And not just the answer – a recipe based on a hands-on demonstration with an Italian cook in a Tuscan villa.

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

I’ll copy out the simple recipe and ingredient list at the end of this story. First, though, I would like to take you through the process of making gnocchi in my own words.

Firstly, we get the potatoes and boil them. Choosing the right kind of potatoes is a crucial step. My cooking teacher, Stefano Schieppati, puts it like this:

“The important thing is to not have too moist potatoes. So, for example, the new baby potatoes are not good for gnocchi – better to use the starch ones. And boil them always with the skin and do not over boil them and let them drain very much.”

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

Now, the recipe says to peel the potatoes because we definitely don’t want any skin in the gnocchi. But here at Villa Ferraia, where I’m learning the trade, there is a fancy little masher we’ll use which automatically takes the skin off.

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

We then let them cool down.

“Mash them when they’re hot and do not, never, use flour until they are cold or at least nearly cold”, Stefano warns me.

With all the mashed potato on the table, we then add the other ingredients – flour, lots of parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, and egg yolks. (The exact measurements are in the recipe below.)

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

Once everything is all on top of each other, we knead it all together like a dough. It won’t be nearly as hard to do as a flour-based dough, though, and should only need a few minutes before it’s a good firm shape and isn’t sticking to the table anymore.

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

Then we chop off a lump and start to roll it into tubes. You want each tube to be about the thickness of a wooden spoon handle (or slightly larger). I found this to be quite tricky and it was easiest when I used both hands and didn’t apply too much pressure.

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

Once you’ve got a cool tube, you then just slice it into small bite-sized pieces. And that’s the raw gnocchi!

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

That’s the hard part over. Now what we do is boil the pieces in water for just two minutes, scoop them out and put them on a tray covered in olive oil and let them cool down. When they’re cool we dump them in the water for a second time.

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

And now we’re definitely done. Cooked gnocchi!

You can then top them with any sauce you want. Stefano’s favourite is melted gorgonzola and, yeah, it’s delicious!

Italian recipe for making gnocchi the authentic way

So, I learned this process to make gnocchi as part of a three-day Tuscan cooking experience run by Eating Italy Food Tours. You can read more about that in a post I’ve written here.

In the meantime, here is the recipe. Good luck!

Gnocchi recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1kg potatoes
  • 150g flour
  • 1 spoonful of salt
  • 3 spoonfuls of parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Instructions

  • Peel and boil potatoes for 15 minutes
  • Mash and leave to cool
  • Add all other ingredients to potatoes
  • Knead mix for a few minutes by hand until the dough no longer sticks to table (add flour if needed)
  • Cut a section of mixture and roll it into a long tube-like shape (2-3 cm diameter)
  • Cut roll into small pieces (2-3 cm in length) to form each gnoccho
  • Place gnocchi in boiling water for 2 minutes
  • Remove and place in dish with olive oil and let cool
  • Put gnocchi in boiling water for a second time for 2 minutes
  • Drain and top with sauce

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of Eating Italy Food Tours and Villa Ferraia but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Alex | Partial Parallax |

    October 1, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    Reply

    Wow Gnocchi has been something I’ve never quite understood either but this recipe looks amazing! I really need to make this sometime great run through of the process and thanks for sharing the recipe!

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 4, 2013 at 9:57 pm

      Reply

      It’s not nearly as hard as you might think. Let me know if you try it and how you go!

  2. Megan |

    October 1, 2013 at 11:13 pm

    Reply

    I’ve always wondered what the potato bit was all about!

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 4, 2013 at 9:57 pm

      Reply

      Me too. I’m so glad I’ve worked it out now. I’ll feel more comfortable ordering gnocchi now! 🙂

  3. Tour Dubai |

    October 2, 2013 at 8:54 pm

    Reply

    The recipe looks amazing! I always thought Gnocchi was potato stuffed in bread and fried, but this is much better

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 4, 2013 at 11:18 pm

      Reply

      I didn’t really know what it was either. I like it even more now I know!! 🙂

  4. Lauren Meshkin @BonVoyageLauren |

    October 3, 2013 at 7:06 am

    Reply

    My mouth is watering. Definitely bookmarking this. Thanks for sharing!

    Happy travels 🙂

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 4, 2013 at 11:20 pm

      Reply

      It’s a delicious dish and this recipe should be perfect for you let me know how you go!

  5. Abhishek (wild navigator) |

    October 9, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    Reply

    Great post & wow now I know how this great thing is made. My wife and I love eating this once in 15days & will surely try out your receipt Michael.
    Cheers
    Abhishek

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 29, 2013 at 12:17 am

      Reply

      And it will definitely taste better if you cook it yourself too. That’s always the rule!! 🙂

  6. Desert Safari Dubai |

    October 11, 2013 at 2:07 am

    Reply

    mouth watering dish,, lovelyyyy

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 29, 2013 at 12:21 am

      Reply

      Yeah… absolutely delicious!

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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