I love gnocchi but I have not had any since I started living gluten free. Everyone told me making gluten-free pasta was easy and after I finally tried making it, I realized they were right. I’ve also heard that making gluten free gnocchi was easy, but you know I’m a show me kind of gal. So I picked up 4 large russet potatoes at the market and challenged myself to go for it. I only needed 3 potatoes but I wanted an extra just in case I opened one up and it was black.
If you can bake potatoes, boil water and roll dough out like a snake then you can make gnocchi. Oh, and you need to like to play with your food with a fork but not necessary.
I served this with thin pork cutlets that were inspired by Roger Mooking. He made Panko Schnitzel. Well Panko is great to use because it’s very light and holds the crisp, but if you are living gluten free it is off limits. It’s Japanese Bread Crumbs so pass on that. But I loved how he took the center cut of a boneless pork loin, sliced it and pounded it thin. You’ll want to do the triple dip (gf flour, egg, gf bread crumbs) and fry them. This makes your meat go a long way and that means saving money. Love that. I’m freezing my leftover to use for sandwiches with peppers, onions and red sauce, a Mexican Stack, and maybe even Eggs Benedict. There are a ton of ways to use these little gems.
If after eating this you decide that making gluten-free pasta is as easy as I said, take the next step and make your own Lasagna!
Now, let’s get busy making those gnocchi. It was so easy, that I went so fast I forgot to take very many photos. You’ll just have to read most of this one.
One more note of importance. According to Jacqueline Mallorca, author of Gluten-Free Italian: Over 150 Irresistible Recipes without Wheat–from Crostini to Tiramisu
Ingredients:
3 large organic russet potatoes (scrub, prick, bake , scoop out and put through the potato ricer)
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour- I used Bob’s Red Mill.
1 TB xanthan gum
2 organic eggs
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup cheese -I used Daiya Mozzarella but if you eat dairy use Parmesan
sorghum or rice flour to use when rolling so it doesn’t stick
Directions:
Well first thing you’ll need to do is prep those potatoes. That means scrubbing, baking at 350 degree oven for around 50 minutes, cutting in half and scooping out the cooked potato parts. Putting the cooked potato through the ricer makes it fluffy and the perfect consistency to make pasta. Make sure you do this while the potato is still a little warm. Oh and save those skins in the freezer for a quick snack with a little cheese and bacon to have while watching football!
Gently mix all of your ingredients until a dough forms. Divide into 4 parts and use a damp cloth to cover the sections not being worked on to keep them from drying out.
Take one part, toss a little of your gluten-free flour on the board and roll it out into a snake about 1/2 inch thick. Cut it into bite size pieces about 3/4 – 1 inch long. Once they are all cut you take the back of your fork and roll the gnocchi under the tines to leave an imprint. I place mine on a long cookie sheet dusted with gluten-free flour so they don’t stick together.
Repeat with the remaining 3 sections until you have a nice tray of gnocchi.
To cook first bring your pot of water to a boil. Toss in some salt and then the gnocchi. It only takes them 4-6 minutes to cook. When you see them floating on the surface you know they are ready. Take them out with a slotted spoon and place them onto a tray. Let the heat dry them just a touch as you don’t want them dripping in water.
You can now toss them into your favorite sauce but I wanted mine browned up in butter first. I took a large skillet, melted some butter (Earth Balance dairy and soy free) and tossed them around. It doesn’t take long for them to brown.
Now you are ready to eat. Serve them up with your pork cutlets, a little red sauce and your favorite dark green leafy salad. I also topped mine with a little fresh basil from the garden.
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Oh, super yum, Diane! Have not made gf gnocchi yet, but know that lots of others have and say that it's not hard at all. Hubby would love this meal and I'm sure I would, too. Especially with the pork cutlets factor! 😉
Thanks!
Shirley
Shirley you know what a pork girl I am. Had to toss that in with the gnocchi. Yes it was so much easier than I ever expected. I think I'm going to play with the recipe and use sweet potatoes next. Wouldn't that make a good meal with a little pancetta and cippolini onions. Gosh, now I have to go start working on this.
Sounds delicious! What if you don't have a potato ricer? 🙂
Gina if you don't have a ricer get one soon as it's great for making the most amazing mashed potatoes too. They cost as little as $10. But if you don't have one you'll need to be good with a fork to break apart the potato. I've even heard of some folks who push the potato through a colander to separate and fluff. But really I would buy the ricer first.
Can't wait to try this! Speaking for myself, I think the idea of making your own pasta is intimidating, so I've never attempted it. But reading this, I am definitely going to add it to my to-do list for fall cooking. Gnocchi with a warm hearty ragout – that'll be so good as the weather starts to cool. 🙂
Diane – I must give this a try! I have Jacqueline's cook book too – fabulous!