Gnocchi: Mastering Humble Bits of Heaven
By Michael Safdiah

I swooned over a dish of “gnudi” at the Spotted Pig a few months ago. It was beyond fabulous, so of course I tried to get the recipe. April Bloomfield, their duly famous chef isn’t telling. So, several of us West Village chefs are trying to “crack the code” —but only just for fun, to keep life stimulating; we admire April—a genius—and would never resort to stealing. Besides, the “secret” of her recipe is her own hands. Ingredients are only half of a recipe. April’s was a generous portion of light pillow-y dumplings of sheep’s milk ricotta, parmesan cheese and sage-scented brown butter, served swimming in more butter. Food like this makes return trips a quality of life essential.

My search discovered “gnudi” are Gnocchi Ricotta. Gnocchi is a dish originating in northern Italy, but found everywhere. The name is Italian for dumplings, generally made of flour with some potato, cheese, spinach or other ingredient added. They are boiled, then either sautéed, gratineed or fried, and sauced with tomato, cream, butter or gorgonzola. They are filling, and entirely addictive. Some regions serve them in tomato sauce, but their delicate flavors are best experienced with butter and parmesan cheese, or in a gorgonzola cheese sauce.

I used to avoid making them because mine never came out the way the food snobs dictate: “heavenly pillows,” but who cared? Mine were delicious, filling and dense. I never found light ones in any restaurant. While I enjoyed my version, the mastery of these humble bits of heaven was on my list. I did my research, went to the kitchen, gained five pounds and I think I may have it.

Before we start I need to tell you there are some excellent gnocchi on the market shelves, so you can skip making them by hand. My choice is DeCecco, but sooner or later you’re going to want to make a few on your own. Warning: making pasta is a snap compared to these; that’s because you need to handle the dough with an extremely light touch, or you’ll spoil it. This is a job you can only do with your hands, and only the tips of your fingers. Make a soft dough, roll it delicately into a _ inch rope around eight inches long. Cut into _ “ long pieces. Load your board with flour to avoid sticking. Now, while pressing the top of each “gnocco.” Singular, draw the dough toward you letting the dough curl around your finger. Or, you can draw the dough across the tines of a fork or a box grater, and let the dough curl with ridges. This motion is hard to describe with words, but do it once and you’ll get it; I promise. I also promise you will (and must) make lots of mistakes and they will also be delicious. The price of learning; I don’t know any other way.

POTATO GNOCCHI: starts with making a soft dough with flour, potatoes, cheese, an egg to bind, some seasoning - usually nutmeg. Bake 5 medium Idaho potatoes at 375f. Pierce them first to let the moisture escape. You want fairly dry potatoes. Moisture will make the gnocchi dense. Peel while the potatoes are still almost too hot to touch. Rice them, or pass through a sieve onto a flat wide surface or bowl. Sprinkle two cups of semolina or all purpose flour, and 1 cup grated parmesan cheese. VERY gingerly, with only your fingertips, mix in an egg, a big pinch of salt, some pepper, and nutmeg. When the dough is able to come together, form ropes as described above, make the gnocchi, set them aside on a tray, single layer, until you’re ready to cook them.

Cooking is simple: plenty of boiling salted water, and a deep pot. You will need a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove them when they are done. Wait until your sauce is ready before starting to cook them; they go rather quickly. Drop them into the water gradually, and be sure the pot remains on the boil. They will sink to the bottom, eventually float to the surface where they will stay another minute before you gently lift them out and set them into the pan with the sauce. Always remember when cooking pasta to retain a cup of the cooking water in case you need to thin out your sauce. Pasta will always ‘drink’ liquids, even after you take it from the pot.

Gnochi a la gorgonzola: Mince a medium onion, and gently sauté it in good olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic. Add some milk or cream, a few knobs of sweet (dolce) Gorgonzola (not the sharp mountain variety), mash the cheese till it melts, add freshly ground pepper, ditto nutmeg, a jigger of white wine, a chicken bouillon cube or real stock is best, and a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It should cook down into a creamy sauce. Swirl, taste, correct the seasoning, place the cooked gnocchi into the pan, reheat, sprinkle parsley and parmesan cheese and serve.

BUTTER & CHEESE: Just like it says, but small amount of chicken broth always helps.

BROWN BUTTER & SAGE: Cook fresh butter in a saucepan with fresh sage until the milk solids start to brown. Pour over the gnocchi and dress with freshly grated parmesan.

SPINACH MALFATTI: Gnocchi so named because they are “badly made “, but it’s a joke. You don’t need to develop the art of making the curls, but these are still delicious. Barely boil 4 pounds of spinach (frozen is okay), drain, then wring out the water in a kitchen towel. When you think you’ve removed as much water as you can, wring out some more. I’m serious; “dry “ dough is essential. Chop it very finely; I mean very, then see if you can press out more water. Into a bowl: 2 pounds of well drained ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, half cup flour, 1 cup grated parmesan, fresh ground nutmeg, pepper, salt, mix well then incorporate the spinach. You do not want the dough to be wet and mushy; add more flour if it is. Let the dough stand an hour, then form into one inch balls, lay them on a sheet, roll in flour, gently press to flatten the shape a little, and immediately poach in the usual fashion allowing a minute after they rise to the surface. As in any poaching, only add enough so the liquid keeps simmering. You may need to work in batches, but it goes fast. These only need some butter and more grated parmesan.

GNOCCHI WITH CHICKEN LIVERS: Make a rich chicken broth: Finely chop 2 carrots, an onion and 3 cloves of garlic, and sweat in olive oil. Add chicken stock, thyme, sage, salt pepper. Strain and reduce. Poach the gnocchi in the broth and serve in bowls with some of the broth and some parmesan.

Finely chop some fresh chicken livers, sage, one clove of crushed garlic and one medium onion, minced and sautéed in some oil and cooled, a cup of fresh bread crumbs, a cup of semolina, a handful of freshly chopped parsley wrung out to dry it, one egg, pepper and salt. Gently press into flattened balls, roll in flour, poach and serve in the broth you cooked them in. Sprinkle the broth with grated cheese.

April’s gnudi? I haven’t figured it out right enough to tell you-yet *wink*.

As always, I’m happy to explain anything I’ve written about and want to hear your suggestions. Please email me at mymymichl@aol.com. Thanks so much for joining me. Love, Michael.