International Education Week Food Friday recipe: How to make gnocchi

Posted on by Kellogg Community College
Gnocchi in red sauce

Today is day five of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education held Nov. 16 through 20 “to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.”

KCC is celebrating International Education Week all week long, with a different focus each day. Today’s theme is Food Friday, when we’ll be posting favorite international recipes from the KCC community.

Click here to view a Bosnian burek recipe recommended by Admissions Director Marko Delic.

Next up is a detailed recipe for gnocchi recommended by Admissions Specialist Rose Dulaney, who is Italian and loves to share stories about growing up in an Italian household. If you call the Admissions office by phone, chances are you’ll meet Rose on the other end!

Dulaney’s gnocchi recipe follows.

How to Make Gnocchi

From Dulaney:

The Italian translation of gnocchi means little lump. I like to call it a little potato dumpling.

Potato matters! Do not use a baking potato such as Idaho or any kind of new potato. Baking potatoes can be too mealy, which means they can have thick skin and a high starch content but low in moisture, and new potatoes can be too moist. A good boiling potato to use is Yukon Gold.

The nice thing about gnocchi is that is pairs well with a variety of sauces such as tomato or pesto.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds boiling potatoes
  • 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Preparation

  1. With skin on, place potatoes in a pot with lots of water then bring to a boil. Cook until tender about 20 to 35 minutes. Remove potatoes from water and let them cool to the touch. Note: The hotter the potato is when peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be.
  2. Holding potato with a towel, peel the skin off with a knife as quickly as you can.
  3. Press the peeled potatoes through a ricer.
  4. Add most of the flour to the riced potatoes and knead into a smooth mixture. Note: Do not add all the flour at once as some potatoes will absorb less flour than others. Stop adding flour when the mixture has become soft and smooth.
  5. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Divide your dough into 2 to 4 parts then roll dough into a ½-inch thick rope.
  6. Cut the ropes into ¾-inch long pieces. Shape your gnocchi using a dinner fork. While holding the fork with one hand use the index finger of your other hand; hold one of the cut pieces against the inside curve of the fork, pressing the piece against the prongs, roll it downward toward the tips of the tines.
  7. Place the rolled gnocchi on a floured tablecloth or towel as you continue to shape the dough.

Cook Gnocchi

Boil gnocchi in a broad pan about 6 quarts and approximately 12 inches in diameter. Note: The broader the better. Bring salted water to a boil. Drop the first batch (about 12 to 24 pieces) of gnocchi into boiling water. When the gnocchi floats to the surface let them cook 10 seconds more. Retrieve them with a colander scoop or large slotted spoon and transfer to a warm serving platter. Serve with your favorite sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Check out all our International Education Week content past and still to come, including:

Interested in international studies? Check out our Associate in Global and International Studies degree!

The image above is a stock photo of a gnocchi recipe meant to be representative; final products made using the above recipe may vary in appearance.