Finding myself with still nearly a gallon of the more expensive organic milk with an expiration date of July 19th, it was time to come up with a recipe that would utilize a good deal of it. Recalling that my younger daughter had just two days prior found an unlabeled bag of some type of powder in the pantry, I knew what type of recipe I was on the lookout for - gnocchi alla romana, or gnocchi in the Roman style, which uses semolina, instead of potato or ricotta, or even goat cheese. BTW - the "powder" was semolina.
I was hep to try this out, as last Friday hubby and I went to an Italian restaurant we hadn't dined at yet, and I'd chosen two smaller portions of handmade pastas - my "main" course of thick tagliatelle with ragu alla bolognese, and my "primo" or first course of semolina gnocchi with kale (which I had them omit), braised oxtail, and creme fraiche. Both pastas were quite delicious, and I was pleasantly surprised that the gnocchi didn't leave me feeling stuffed afterward.
I began measuring ingredients according to The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia, cross-referencing also Marc Vetri's Mastering Pasta, and it's a good thing I did, as once again, if I'd followed the first recipe's cooking directions verbatim, the gnocchi would have been severely overcooked, dried, burnt - good only for the garbage can.
Your basic recipe that renders enough for 4-6 more-than-generous servings calls for 4 cups (1 quart) of milk, brought to a boil, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Note: when heating milk, you don't actually want it to boil, and you need to warm it gradually over a medium or lower flame, or you'll end up with burnt milk solids in a ring around your pan - very difficult and time consuming to remove.
I decided to also add a handful of chopped thyme for a little extra flavor, and I'd definitely recommend choosing any variety of herbs for just this reason.
Once your milk is seasoned, you add your 8 ounces of semolina in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Here's where the recipes vary DRASTICALLY. The original said to whisk about 15 minutes, until the mixture is very thick. Ooh, big mistake there! Checking Vetri's book reveals that it only takes about 30 SECONDS, NOT minutes.
Pull the pan off the heat, add 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano, along with 2 eggs, plus an extra yolk, lightly beaten beforehand.
Book 1 says to pour the mixture into a greased baking tray to a thickness of about 1/2", or spread it over a dampened work surface. Unfortunately, you have absolutely no way of knowing what size pan this will cover to just a thickness of 1/2". I spread mine into a 1/4 sheet pan, only to see that it was pretty much a full inch thick. You let it cool completely, then cut out 1-1/4" discs with a cookie cutter.
I ended up cooling it, flipping it out onto a cutting board, and using a 2-1/4" cutter, rendering about a dozen discs and enough leftover scraps that probably would have given me another dozen. An easier way would be to just cut it into 2" squares.
While your oven is preheating to 350 degrees, you layer the discs in a buttered baking dish, dotting each layer with a sprinkling of Parmiggiano (another 1/2 cup total), along with flakes of butter (the recipe called for 5 Tablespoons, which probably would be okay for the entire recipe, but remember I ended up only baking half). Bake the gnocchi for about 15 minutes, until browned on top.
Okay, I baked mine more like 20 minutes, because it was 1" thick, but I'd also topped mine with sauteed onions (1-1/2 large, cut into slices) and a bit more grated cheese than called for.
Recommendations: Make HALF this amount, season generously with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lots of minced herbs, and use the FULL amount of cheese, topping with sauteed onions or red peppers.
FINISHED DISH:
In this case, I believe I'd just stick to polenta - far more flavor, even with adding extra seasonings and herbs.
Ciao!
I began measuring ingredients according to The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia, cross-referencing also Marc Vetri's Mastering Pasta, and it's a good thing I did, as once again, if I'd followed the first recipe's cooking directions verbatim, the gnocchi would have been severely overcooked, dried, burnt - good only for the garbage can.
Your basic recipe that renders enough for 4-6 more-than-generous servings calls for 4 cups (1 quart) of milk, brought to a boil, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Note: when heating milk, you don't actually want it to boil, and you need to warm it gradually over a medium or lower flame, or you'll end up with burnt milk solids in a ring around your pan - very difficult and time consuming to remove.
I decided to also add a handful of chopped thyme for a little extra flavor, and I'd definitely recommend choosing any variety of herbs for just this reason.
Once your milk is seasoned, you add your 8 ounces of semolina in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Here's where the recipes vary DRASTICALLY. The original said to whisk about 15 minutes, until the mixture is very thick. Ooh, big mistake there! Checking Vetri's book reveals that it only takes about 30 SECONDS, NOT minutes.
Pull the pan off the heat, add 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano, along with 2 eggs, plus an extra yolk, lightly beaten beforehand.
Book 1 says to pour the mixture into a greased baking tray to a thickness of about 1/2", or spread it over a dampened work surface. Unfortunately, you have absolutely no way of knowing what size pan this will cover to just a thickness of 1/2". I spread mine into a 1/4 sheet pan, only to see that it was pretty much a full inch thick. You let it cool completely, then cut out 1-1/4" discs with a cookie cutter.
I ended up cooling it, flipping it out onto a cutting board, and using a 2-1/4" cutter, rendering about a dozen discs and enough leftover scraps that probably would have given me another dozen. An easier way would be to just cut it into 2" squares.
While your oven is preheating to 350 degrees, you layer the discs in a buttered baking dish, dotting each layer with a sprinkling of Parmiggiano (another 1/2 cup total), along with flakes of butter (the recipe called for 5 Tablespoons, which probably would be okay for the entire recipe, but remember I ended up only baking half). Bake the gnocchi for about 15 minutes, until browned on top.
Okay, I baked mine more like 20 minutes, because it was 1" thick, but I'd also topped mine with sauteed onions (1-1/2 large, cut into slices) and a bit more grated cheese than called for.
Recommendations: Make HALF this amount, season generously with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lots of minced herbs, and use the FULL amount of cheese, topping with sauteed onions or red peppers.
FINISHED DISH:
In this case, I believe I'd just stick to polenta - far more flavor, even with adding extra seasonings and herbs.
Ciao!
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