The Best Potatoes Gnocchi

"Gnocchi"is a traditional dishes of the fine art of Italian cooking.
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Gnocchi are found in the oldest Italian cookbooks, from the 1300s; interestingly, they were called "ravioli", after "robiola" the rounded root of a type of turnip, the greens of which we now call rape or broccoli. Seeds have recently been developed abroad for broccolirab turnips that no longer have the round root, but the traditional type is the one that has always been use in Italy. Through the Renaissance and into the early nine-tee nth century, thees "ravioli" without pasta were eaten in the spicy soups or "minestre" that were the usual first course of Italian meals before the swift spread of dried pasta in the middle of the nineteenth century. Ravioli wrapped in pasta were a less employed alternative, but acquired different shapes through the centuries. One version kept the name and the original shape, the ravioli "nudi" that are still traditional in Florence, made from spinach and ricotta. We ate them often in my family, and our family named them is "naked ravioli".
Gnocchi as we know them in modern times are based on potatoes, alone or in combination with another vegetable or even other starches. And potatoes are a late arrival in Italian cooking, although they arrived earlier than when Parmantier popularized them in France.
Gnocchi made from potatoes alone should be very tender, and as little flour as possible should be added to help hold together. The more flour added , the easier it is to hold them together, but the tougher they get. Eggs and grated cheese should not be added to the "dough" for potato gnocchi, as they make them tougher still. Authentic gnocchi often come as a surprise to people who have eaten only the commercial type, because they are not chewy and really do, as they say "melt in your mouth". The toughness of badly made gnocchi is a standing joke in Italy, and the slang word "Gnocco" is use to describe a dense person.
To achieve the lightness required, the potatoes should be prepared so they absorb the least of liquid: the older the potatoes, the better for the gnocchi, because they have less liquid-absorbing starch. Potatoes with "eyes" popping out of the skin are the ideal. They should be peeled while still very hot, without running any water over them, then riced and left to become cold before mixing in the flour, as the cold potatoes will absorb less flour than when warm or even lukewarm. The Ligurian version of pure potatoes gnocchi, dressed with pesto or tomatoes sauce. From Piedmont, we have gnocchi made with a combination of potatoes and another vegetable, we do add eggs and grated cheese, in Piedmont most often grated Grana Padano, as in other far north regions, or typically Piedmont truffle sauce.
The wonderful squash-and -potatoes gnocchi are made from Mantua in Lombardy. Flavored with saffron, nutmeg, and crushed bitter-almond amaretti cookies, they are topped only with thinly shaved of Grana Padano. The carrot-and-potaoes gnocchi, also from Liguria, are served with superb "agliata" a suace made from many cloves of crushed raw garlic combined with white wine and vinegar. Gnocchi from Padova, near Venice, combine potatoes, cornmeal, and very interesting addition of bread crumbs. These slightly chewy gnocchi are baked with a savory meat sauce.
In the regional Italian cooking "Gnocchi' are often present on menus, Specials or served as entree' side, depend how the Chef want to present his creativity cuisine.
They can be in different shapes, made with different type of texture, ingredients and of course flavors and taste.


A good gourmet knows what they are.
In this lens I want to share how to prepare the best Potato Gnocchi that you never taste before.
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