Nothin’ but Gnocchi

Jan. 29 - Nothing impresses dinner guests more than homemade gnocchi — the Italian pasta made from potatoes. Chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich of the PBS series and cookbook “Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen” has the secret to feather light gnocchi that is easy to prepare. And to prove just how easy it is, she shares her tips with her three-year-old grandson, Lorenzo on “Today.” Sample her recipes below.

POTATO GNOCCHI

Gnocchi di Patate

Makes 4 main course or 8 appetizer servings

4 large, unpeeled Idaho (russet) potatoes, (about 2 1/4 pounds), washed

1 teaspoon salt

2 large egg

Dash of freshly ground white pepper

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed

It isn’t hard to make feather-light gnocchi. The main thing to keep in mind is this: The less flour you add and the less you handle the dough, the lighter the gnocchi will be. The less moisture there is in the potatoes before you start adding flour, the less flour you will need. So the following tips for making light gnocchi all have to do with removing as much moisture from the potatoes as possible:

Don’t overcook the potatoes. Their skins will pop open and the flesh will soak up water.

Rice the potatoes while they are still quite warm and steaming-rubber gloves help.

Spread the riced potatoes out in a thin layer so the steam rising from them has a chance to escape.

Once you form gnocchi, they must be cooked or frozen immediately or they turn to mush. To freeze them, pop the tray with the gnocchi on them right into the freezer. When they are solid, scrape them into a resealable plastic bag.

Put the potatoes in a large pot and pour in enough cold water to cover them by at least three fingers. Bring to a boil and cook until they are tender when pierced with a skewer, about 40 minutes. Lift them out of the water and let stand just until cool enough to handle. The hotter the potatoes are when you peel and rice them, the fluffier the riced potatoes will be.

Scrape the peels off the potatoes and rice the potatoes. Spread the riced potatoes out in a thin layer to expose as much of their surface as possible to the air.

While the potatoes are cooling, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.

On a cool, preferably marble, work surface, gather the cold riced potatoes into a loose mound with a well in the center. Beat the eggs, 1 teaspoon salt and the white pepper together in a small bowl until blended and pour into the well. Work the potatoes and egg together with both hands, gradually adding as much flour as necessary to form a firm but moist dough. Stop frequently as you mix to scrape up the dough that sticks to the work surface and reincorporate it into the dough. Forming the dough should take no longer than 10 minutes from start to end. The longer the dough is worked, the more flour it will require and the heavier the dough-and the finished gnocchi-will be. As you work, dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with flour as soon as the dough begins to feel sticky.

Cut the dough into six equal portions. Using the outstretched fingers and palms of both hands, roll each piece of dough into a rope about ½ -inch thick. Cut the rope crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Sprinkle the pieces with flour, then roll each piece between your palms into a rough ball. Reflour your hands as necessary to prevent sticking. Hold a fork at an angle to your work surface. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take a dough ball and, with the tip of your floured thumb, press it lightly but firmly against the tines of the fork while, at the same time, rolling it downward along the tines. The dough will wrap around the tip of your thumb, forming a dumpling with a deep indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other. (You can use the non-grating side of a flat or curved cheese grater for a different effect.) Set the gnocchi on a baking sheet lined with a lightly floured kitchen towel as you form them. Repeat with the remaining five pieces of dough. At this point the gnocchi must be cooked or frozen immediately.

Sidebar: Saucing Gnocchi

Cook freshly made or frozen gnocchi as described above. Reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid, drain the gnocchi gently and return them to the pot over low heat. Dress with any of the following:

Add 3 to 4 cups Tomato Sauce or Bolognese Sauce to the drained gnocchi in the pot. Bring to a simmer, adding as much of the cooking liquid as necessary to make a creamy sauce that evenly coats the gnocchi. Remove from the heat, stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste.

Add 3 to 4 new potatoes, boiled till tender and thinly sliced and 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths and boiled till tender, to the drained gnocchi in the pot. Warm over low heat, adding cooking liquid as necessary to keep the gnocchi moist. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 recipe Classic Pesto. Taste and season with salt if necessary and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if you like.

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‘DROOLING’ GNOCCHI

Gnocchi Alla Bava

This rich and cheesy dish gets its name from the strands of cheese that ‘drool’ back onto the plate when you lift the gnocchi with a fork.

Makes 6 servings

Potato Gnocchi

Salt

1/2 cup chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

Freshly ground white pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

5 ounces Fontina Valdostana cheese, rind removed and shredded (about 1 ½ cups)

Make the gnocchi.

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. (If you plan to cook the gnocchi as soon as they are formed, put the water on to boil while the riced potatoes are cooling. If you are cooking previously frozen gnocchi, make sure the water is boiling before you remove the gnocchi from the freezer.)

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Bring the stock, butter and cream to a boil in a large skillet over medium heat. Adjust the heat to simmering, season lightly with white pepper and simmer until lightly thickened 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook just until they rise to the surface and roll over, 2 to 3 minutes. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and gnocchi, gently scoop the gnocchi out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and add them directly to the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the gnocchi gently, return them to the pot and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and gnocchi to a boil, stirring gently to coat the gnocchi with sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary and gently spoon them into a large (about 15 x 10-inch) baking dish, or two smaller baking dishes into which they fit in a more or less single layer. Scatter the shredded Fontina over the gnocchi and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

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GNOCCHI ALLA SALVIA

A wondeful and simiple gnocchi dish can be made by using just sage, butter and cheese. A more complex version can be made by adding smoked dry ricotta which makes the dish typical of the Friuli region.

Makes 6 servings

1 cup butter

12 fresh sage leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream

Basic recipe for gnocchi

1 cup of stock mixed with cooked gnocchi

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Freshly gound black pepper

In a skillet, melt the butter and add sage. Stir over low heat. Add the cream and stock and bring to a boil. Add freshly ground pepper. Meanwhile cook gnocchi and drain.

Add the cooked gnocchi to the skillet, turning gently with wooden spoon until the gnocchi are coated with sauce, for about 1-2 minutes. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheee and fresh pepper, stir and transfer the sauced gnocchi to serving plates. Top with shaved ricotta and serve immediately.

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MEAT SAUCE BOLOGNESE

Sugo alla Bolognese

Makes 6 cups, enough to dress about 1 1/2 pounds dried pasta

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup minced celery with leaves

Salt

1 pound ground beef

1pound ground pork

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), with their liquid, crushed

3 bay leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups hot water, or as needed

Bolognese is a very versatile sauce.

This recipe makes enough sauce to dress 1 1/2 pounds of dried pasta or one-and-a-half recipes tagliatelle — good for feeding a hungry crowd. It also freezes well it you’d like to enjoy it in smaller quantities. Warm the sauce while the pasta is cooking and toss it with the cooked pasta, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary to make a creamy sauce. Toss in some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano just before you serve it.

Heat the olive oil in a wide, 3 to 4-quart pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery, season them lightly with salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef and pork and continue cooking, stirring to break up the meat, until all the liquid the meat has given off is evaporated and the meat is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the wine is evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, toss in the bay leaves and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is dense but juicy and a rich, dark red color. (Most likely, a noticeable layer of oil will float to the top toward the end of cooking.) This will take about 2 to 3 hours-the longer you cook it, the better it will become. While the sauce is cooking, add hot water as necessary to keep the meats and vegetables covered. The oil can be removed with a spoon or reincorporated in the sauce, which is done traditionally.

To Serve two:

Boil 8 ounces of your choice of fresh or dried pasta until done. While the pasta is cooking, warm the sauce over medium heat. Fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly intosauce in the skillet. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Add enough of the pasta cooking water, if necessary to make enough of sauce to lightly coat the pasta. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.

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Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is host of the PBS series and author of the cookbook “Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen.”