Description
Gnocchi with Montasio Cheese, Poppy Seeds and Speck
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs. (0.9 kg) baking potatoes, cleaned
- 1 cup (0.1 kg) all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) kosher salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) light cream
- 2 cups (0.25 kg) grated Montasio cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) poppy seeds
- 4 ounces (0.125 kg) speck or prosciutto, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Roast the potatoes for 40-50 minutes, or until just done. If they cook too long, they will not rice properly.
- Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes. As soon as you can handle them (you can use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from the heat) cut each potato in half and scoop out the flesh. Place it in the ricer and rice into a large bowl or directly onto the counter.
- Add the flour and the salt and mix well. Add the egg, and quickly knead everything together into a sticky dough, working as quickly as possible. The secret to tender, light gnocchi is 1) add as little flour as possible and 2) knead as little as possible.
- Fill a small pan with water and bring to a boil. You will use this to test the texture of your gnocchi. Take a small piece of dough, about the size of a strawberry, and drop it into the boiling water. It will cook for about a minute, and then should rise to the surface. Let it cook for one more minute, then remove it from the water. If, rather than sink and then rise, it breaks apart, add a bit more flour to the dough and knead again. Once you get a test one that sinks and then rises without blowing apart, you are ready to move on to the next step. You should have a test gnocchi that is cooked through, but still soft and light.
- Dust the counter with flour. Divide the dough into between 4 and 5 equally sized pieces. Take one of the pieces and place it on the floured countertop. Using the palms of your hands, roll the piece out into a 1/2 inch thick log, which will be about 18 inches long. Cut the log into 1-inch lengths, and place the individual gnocchi onto a sheet pan that has been dusted with flour. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Heat the cream over medium heat in a large saute pan to just a simmer. Add the grated cheese and stir gently while everything melts. Turn off the heat.
- Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil and season with salt. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water in small batches. Once they have risen to the top, allow them to cook for one more minute, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and add to the saute pan with the cheese.
- When all the gnocchi has been cooked, add the poppy seeds and speck. Turn on the heat to medium, and stir to heat through. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins