The below recipe is taken from our first eBook – Seven Days of Italian Cooking. I started thinking about these Gnocchi recently as my potato plants seem ready for their unearthing.

My grandmother loved to make her own pasta. I remember very clearly her and my mother mixing the dough and rolling it out extra thin to make a long cut. They would lay the fresh pasta on a sheet covering my grandmother’s bed, or hang it from a closet door to dry. My job was to keep the cats out of the house.

My grandmother also liked Gnocchi and made them often from scratch. It looked like a ton of work, but she always claimed it was easy. Many years after her death, I gave it a try and you know that old lady knew what she was talking about. Gnocchi can be enjoyed when you have the gang over on a Sunday afternoon or as a semi-quick weekday surprise.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. russet potatoes, about 2 large ones

• 1 egg, to act as a binder

• 3/4 cups flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper

Poke the potatoes a few times with a fork and boil in water until tender, about an hour. When slightly cooled, peal the potatoes and mash them. Add salt and pepper.

Mix in the egg and enough flour with the potatoes to form workable dough. Knead the dough into the shape of a snake about ½ inch thick and cut the rolls into ½ inch pieces.

Roll the pieces in flour lightly shaking off any excess. Roll then over a fork pressing lightly with your thumb to give them the ridges. Ridges help hold the sauce.

Cook the Gnocchi in boiling water in small batches until they float to the top. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and serve with Pesto Sauce (click here for Gracie’s Pesto).

Years later my mother came up with her own version using sweet potatoes. She would micro-wave the sweet potatoes until they were tender and then followed the same steps. I loved those Sweet Potato Gnocchi.

You all need to click on the image below to discover how you can take control of your food supply!