More on gnocchi

Yesterday I posted my recipe for butternut squash gnocchi, one of my favorites. I want to continue with the theme of gnocchi today, because it's unfair to think of them as limited to potato.

"Gnocchi" are "bumps" in Italian. Sometimes, the word is used to describe joints generally, like knees or elbows. So, really, it's just a shape, like an orecchiete, or spaghetti, or anything like that. (Indeed, when my grandmother's knees were sore, I recall hearing her say that her "gnocchi" hurt. We didn't eat them at home, so it took me a lot of years to figure out what she meant),

In Rome, gnocchi are almost always made of semolina. To be honest, given the meaning of the word, I don't understand why these are called gnocchi, but what I do understand is that they are rich, tasty, delicious morsels. I could eat a whole pan of them, and then be sick afterwards. And not regret it. I have them on the menu for a lunch next week, and I know they're gonna go over well.

To make a LOT of these (and, unfortunately, the recipe does not seem to work well if you cut it back), you will need a quart of milk. (I'm told that low fat will work. Be my guest...). You will also need a stick of unsalted butter, a cup of grated parmesan cheese, and a cup of semolina flour. You may also want a teaspoon or so of salt.

Now, some may be asking this question, if they haven't already: why do you use unsalted butter if you're going to add salt?

As always, I can see Sue's hand up in the back, and of course, she's right. That way you can control how salty the food is. If you put salted butter in, the salt is there and you can't do anything about it. For BONUS points, you would know that salt in butter can frequently cover up the fact that it is rancid. It almost never happens today, but it does happen.

Okay, enough of that diatribe. So what you do next is you get a baking sheet, and you take the paper from the stick of butter and wipe it all over the sheet. Then push it aside, because you'll use it later.

In a big pot, add the cold milk, the stick of butter, and the flour. This is contrary to what is taught for when you make these, but remember, I told you how to do this with polenta too. If you tried it, you know I'm right. Put the pot on a medium flame, and start stirring. You DO have to stir constantly. The milk will begin to bubble, and you should stir a bit more vigorously. Eventually, after about 6-7 minutes, the mix will begin to take on the texture of a very thick custard. The whole mass will move away from the side of the pan and begin to form a mass on your spoon. At this point, stir in the cheese. I also like to stir in a grating or two of nutmeg.

Pour out the mass onto your baking sheet - remember the one I told you to prep and you forgot about? Now, wet your hands (this is a very hot mass), and spread out the thing to a nice, even layer. Don't worry about filling the baking sheet, that's not what you're after here. Then let this cool, for say about ten minutes.

Now, the fun part. Get a cutter of some kind. A biscuit cutter, a glass, a measuring cup, something, and start cutting circles out of the semolina. These circles will be your gnocchi. What you do is you take these and start layering them in a buttered baking dish (I didn't tell you about prepping that pan. Sorry). Have them overlap each other , like cards lying on top of each other in solitare. Then put the whole pan in a preheated, 350 oven, and bake it for about twenty minutes.

If you REALLY want to put this dish over the top - ready for this? Grate another half cup of parmesan cheese , and get yet another half stick of butter. Dot the top of the gnocchi with the butter and cheese, and then broil it for five minutes.

Sounds good, doesn't it? It is. It's intended as a first course, and you will have enough here for many first courses. If you decide to use it that way, maybe a grilled piece of meat with nothing on it, a green vegetable and a salad afterward. No dessert after that meal.

But... I cannot tell you how often I have sat there with a big plate of these as my dinner. Followed by salad. Interestingly enough, white wine doesn't work that well with these. A very flowery white, or zinfandel, or something with a great deal of fruit is the wine of choice.
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Now, chickens, Annalena needs your help. We are at entry number 297. Rapidly approaching our goal of 300. So, what would you like to know about, in entry 300? Do you want a recipe for some particular item? A story of Annalena's young life with or without Nana? Something else perhaps? Annalena shall try to comply with all reasonable requests, and any unreasonable ones that leave me hot and bothered? If you are silent, you must be satisfied with what will follow.