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MONFERRINA
POTATO GNOCCHI WITH CASTELMAGNO
SAUCE
|
 Potatoes
were introduced into Italy at the
end of the eighteenth century to
improve the diet of the poor. Italian
creativity came up with gnocchi.
There are dozens of versions throughout
northern Italy, while in Tuscany
polenta is used and in Rome it is
semolina. There are recipes which
use more flour, or more potato,
some which include egg or cheese,
and even the shape changes. The
classic Piedmontese version is a
miniscule cylinder rolled off the
tines of a fork with the thumb.
Those of the Monferrato area are
medium-sized, but there are also
smaller versions. Everything is
up to the creativity of the individual
cook, but the important thing is
that they must have the right consistency,
and not be rubbery like the industrially
processed version. A tasty sauce
– and there are many different
options – makes them into
a popular treat. |
| Ingredients
for 4 people: |
1
kg potatoes
2 egg yolks
1 spoon olive oil
250 g flour
50 g butter
150 g Castelmagno cheese
3 spoons milk or cream
4 walnuts
salt and pepper |
| To
make the gnocchi: |
Wash the
potatoes thoroughly but do not
peel them, put them in a saucepan
and cover with cold water. Cook
for 20/25 minutes. Once they are
cooked, drain and peel them while
still hot. Mash them and then
spread them out on a board to
cool. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
and add the oil, egg yolks and
around 200 g flour, then bring
the mixture together, without
an excessive amount of kneading.
Leave for 3-4 minutes.
Break the dough into a few pieces
and, on a board dusted with flour,
roll each piece into a long sausage
about a centimetre and a half
in diameter. Cut the sausage into
2 centimetre sections and roll
each section lightly with your
thumb across a grater or the tines
of a fork to create indentations.
Bring a big pot of water to the
boil. Crumble the Castelmagno
and place it in a large pan with
the butter and milk (or cream)
and melt over a very low heat,
mixing with a wooden spoon.
In the meantime put the gnocchi
into a pan of boiling salted water,
and drain them off gently as soon
as they rise to the surface. Then
pop them into the pan with the
melted cheese and toss them around
in the mixture.
Serve immediately with freshly-ground
pepper and sprinkle the roughly-chopped
walnuts on top.
Accompany with a good red such
as Barbera d'Asti.
|
 Wine
recommended:
Barbera
d'Asti
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