Italian dumpling easy to make, easy to enjoy

I could barely pronounce it - NYOH-kee doesn't exactly roll off the tongue like linguine or farfalle - and yet there I stood in my kitchen, elbow deep in mashed potatoes and flour trying to make gnocchi.

I soon learned that it is indeed easier to make these irregularly shaped dumplings than it is to utter the word.

"kn-YAWK-ey" says Massimo Salatino, executive chef for Francesca's Restaurants, stressing the "awk" that when I try it resembles a duck with something stuck in its throat.

Some believe gnocchi dates back to the 1300s, but most culinary historians can agree that our modern idea of these potato and flour dumplings showed up around 1860s in Naples.

While Salatino hasn't been doing it for quite that long, making gnocchi has become second nature for him.

"I started many moons ago," says the Italian-born chef, who oversees the kitchens and menu development at the suburban and Chicago locations. "My friend, his family owned a restaurant. I've made thousands and thousands of gnocchi."

With all that experience under his toque, Salatino had seasoned advice for me as I approached my first gnocchi session.

"Making gnocchi is all about touch. It's important to pay attention to the consistency of the dough to ensure the light fluffy pillows that melt in your mouth," he said.

Picking the right potatoes is the first key. Salatino says his secret is Russets. "I like the firmer texture," he says.

John Coletta, chef at Quartino Ristorante Pizzeria Wine Bar in Chicago, says Russets are fine, but he favors another starchy variety, Yukon Golds, for their "rich color and flavor."

Some recipes call for boiling or microwaving the potatoes, but Salatino says many years of experience have led him to bake the potatoes in their skins. Baking, he says, adds creaminess to the dough and avoids water-logging.

Chefs agree a ricer is the preferred method for processing the cooked potatoes, though they can be grated or pureed in a blender or food processor.

"Flour the dough by feel," Salatino says. "It's important to watch how much flour you add to potatoes. Too much will make them doughy and rubbery and too little will cause them to fall apart in the boiling water."

He adds a couple eggs and nutmeg to the dough while kneading it to the consistency of Play-Doh.

Shaping the gnocchi is the fun part, with well-floured hands rolling out logs about the diameter of a dime.

"Instead of trying to roll out a big loaf of dough into the logs, first flatten the dough to about 1-inch thick and cut into strips for the logs from there," Salatino says.

"Cut the log into small pieces and use the back of the fork to pinch the sides of the gnocchi," he adds. This gives the gnocchi a rustic look and allows for more sauce to be absorbed. "When I worked in Venice, the Venetian gnocchi is called cicchetti or 'amuse' which are even smaller gnocchi the size of your pinkie nail."

In Tuscany, gnocchi made with ricotta cheese in place of potatoes is the dominate type and referred to as gnudi, or naked, since it essentially is ravioli filling.

"Every region in Italy has its own version of this recipe; the name might change, though, or the name from one place might mean something completely different in another. I still get confused at times, so I can only imagine how it is for people who were not born in Italy," writes chef Gianni Scappin in "A Tavola," the Culinary Institute of America's new book on Italian home cooking.

"Some people will refer to these gnocchi as strangolapreti (priest chokers). Sometimes they are made with stale bread that was soaked in milk, then blended with flour and eggs, and on it goes!

"Once you get the feeling for this type of gnocchi, it is a very quick dish to make," Scappin says, "and very tasty."

  <!-- Start of Brightcove Player --> <div style="display:none"> </div> <!-- By use of this code snippet, I agree to the Brightcove Publisher T and C found at http://corp.brightcove.com/legal/terms_publisher.cfm. --> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></script> <object id="myExperience43120576001" class="BrightcoveExperience"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="width" value="300" /> <param name="height" value="254" /> <param name="playerID" value="18011347001" /> <param name="publisherID" value="1659832549"/> <param name="isVid" value="true" /> <param name="@videoPlayer" value="43120576001" /> </object> <!-- End of Brightcove Player -->   <div class="infoBox"> <h1>Recipes</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> </div> <div class="recipeLink"> <ul class="moreLinks"> <li><a href="/story/?id=324485" class="mediaItem">"Spoon" Ricotta and Nettle Dumplings</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=324484" class="mediaItem">Francesca's Potato Gnocchi</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=324483" class="mediaItem">Gnocchetti al Prezzemolo Little Parsley Gnocchi</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=324482" class="mediaItem">Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Sage</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=324481" class="mediaItem">Gnocchi di patate - Potato Gnocchi</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=324480" class="mediaItem">Gnocchi With Lobster and Peas - or Not </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Gnocchi primer</b></p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Like pasta, gnocchi should be cooked in a large pot (at least 8 quarts) in about 6 quarts of well-salted rapidly boiling water.</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">Cook gnocchi to the al dente stage (about 6 minutes) and drain. Because the dumplings are tender, drain with care. Lift from water with a slotted spoon or perforated scoop and transfer to a colander to drain.</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">If you don't plan to serve them right away, place gnocchi on a lightly greased baking sheet and let cool to room temperature. Once they are cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When you're ready to serve them, add cooked gnocchi to warm sauce and toss gently to coat evenly.</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">To freeze gnocchi, place formed dumplings in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer gnocchi to a resealable plastic bag. Gnocchi will keep for up to one month. You can cook straight from the freezer or defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature.</p> <p class="factboxtext12col">"250 True Italian Pasta Dishes" by John Coletta and chef Massino Salatino</p>