When I had returned to Johannesburg after studying in Stellenbosch for 4 years my good friends and I all started a book club together. It was such fun and we did end up dubbing it the wine club as everyone always forgot about the books. Each person would host the dinner and the others would bring the wine. So many amazing recipes passed my lips but it was my stunning friend Stef’s Gnocchi at her first book club that stood out.
She had a whole menu full of Italian inspiration and I couldn’t wait to stuff my face. The one thing that stood out was Gnocchi. Little delicious potato globes smothered in a rich bolognaise sauce. The first time I had ever eaten it I was at some or other health restaurant with my Mom in Stellenbosch. It was stodgy and stuck together and the sauce was waaaay too healthy with zero meat. I was unimpressed but I just knew that my little Italian firecracker of a friend was gonna blow me away with her version.
We all sat around her kitchen table which I absolutely love. A kitchen to me is the absolute heart of any home and there is nothing better than sitting with my friends, sipping on some Merlot, while Stef stood at the stove and boiled the freshly made Gnocchi then lathered it in ladel fulls of sauce. All I was waiting for now was some Italian granny to pop out the cupboard like in the Fatti’s & Moni’s ads. It was immaculate. Such an amazing meal with such amazing friends.
Now getting this recipe from her a week or so ago was insanely amusing and I had a good chuckle at the detailed description she gave me. I haven’t had a chance to practice the recipe myself due to some other cooking commitments but once I have the free time I’m gonna be Gnocchifying all of Korea. Try the recipe yourself and let me know how it goes!
My Stef’s Spectacular Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
4 Potatoes
4 Cups Flour
1 Egg
Pinch of Salt
Instructions
1. Peel & boil the potatoes until there is no resistance when you poke with a knife (To cut down on cooking time cut potatoes into chunks)
2. Mash the potatoes well, if you want to be fancy you can pass them through a sieve (or even fancier a potato ricer)
3. Allow the potatoes to cool but not completely as they will partially cook the flour when added.
4. Add 2 cups of flour first and work into the potatoes with your hands mashing up any stray lumps with your fingers.
5. Add the egg, the rest of the flour and salt to create a dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers when kneading.
6. Cut the dough into easy to manage sections and roll out to the thickness of your thumb. Cut into pieces roughly an inch.
7. Then get a fork and gently roll the Gnocchi over the back of the fork to make ridges. This is so the Gnocchi catches the sauce you make it with.
8. When all your Gnocchi is in pieces dust lightly with flour and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This will let the Gnocchi absorb any flour as it is still moist.
9. Boil some water in a deep pot till It starts bubbling rapidly and then add handfuls of Gnocchi at a time.
10. Let the Gnocchi float to the top (this should tell you that it’s ready) scoop it up and place in a colander and serve with a delicious bolognaise or creamy sauce.
Chef Stef’s TIPS:
1. For a healthier version replace 2 potatoes with butternut and follow the same process.
2. You can also add some parmesan cheese and parsley when you add your flour to the potatoes.
3. Don’t worry about making too much the Gnocchi can be frozen and reused at your next dinner party.
mybigbiteoflife 