PASTA: If you like gnocchi, please give this version a try in making them at home from scratch.

BASIC GNOCCHI (POTATO PASTA) DOUGH:

 

 

 

3 lbs. russet potatoes                                       

2 cups all purpose flour

1 extra large egg                                              

1 tsp. salt

½ cup canola oil

 

 

Cover whole potatoes with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook at a simmer until they are soft, about 45 minutes. While still warm, peel the potatoes and pass them through a vegetable mill onto a clean board.

 

Bring a large pot of water, about 6 cups, to a boil. Set up an ice bath with 6 cups of ice and 6 cups water nearby.

 

Make a well in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle all over with the flour. Break the egg in the center of the well, add the salt.  Stir into the flour and potatoes with a fork and make up dough in the same way as in making pasta dough.  Knead the dough gently for 4 minutes.

 

Divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch-diameter ropes and cut the ropes into 1-inch-long pieces. Score the sides of the pieces of dough with a fork and drop them into the boiling water. Cook gnocchi for about 1 minute or until they float to the surface.

 

Remove cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon and drop them into the ice-bath to stop cooking immediately. Continue with this process until all the gnocchi have been cooked and cooled for several minutes in the ice bath.

 

Drain the gnocchi and transfer to a mixing bowl. Toss with the oil and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours or until ready to be used.