Recipe - Cooking Lives Gnocchi

6 lg Idaho or Russet potatoes
2 tablespoon Plus 1 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground white
pepper
2 Eggs; beaten
4 cup Unbleached flour
Grated Parmigiano for
serving

Boil the potatoes in their skins about 40 minutes, until easily pierced
with a skewer. When cool enough to handle, peel and rice the potatoes, and

set them aside to cool completely, spreading them loosely to expose as much
surface as possible to air. (The reason for this is to allow as much
evaporation of moisture as possible to avoid the need

of additional flour, therefore keeping the gnocchi light.)

Before proceeding further, bring 6 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of the
salt to a boil.

On a cool, preferably marble work surface, gather the cold riced potatoes
into a mound, forming a well in the center. Stir the remaining 1 teaspoon

salt and the white pepper into the beaten eggs and pour the mixture into
the well. Work the potatoes and eggs together with both hands, gradually
adding 3 cups of the flour and scraping the dough up

from the work surface with a knife as often as necessary. (Incorporation of
the ingredients should take no longer than 10 minutes. The longer the dough
is worked, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will bec

ome.) Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with flour
and cut the dough into six equal parts. Continue to dust dough, hands, and
surface as long as the dough feels sticky.

Using both hands, roll each piece of dough into a rope 1/2inch thick, then
slice the ropes at One half inch intervals. Indent each dumpling with a thumb,
or use the tines of a fork to produce a ribbed ef

fect. (This facilitates adhesion of the sauce.)

Drop the gnocchi into boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and
continuously with a wooden spoon, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they
rise to the surface. Remove the gnocchi from the wat

er with a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer them to a warm platter, adding
a little sauce of choice, and boil the remaining pieces in batches until
all are done. Sauce as desired, add freshly ground white pepper to taste a

nd, if appropriate, grated cheese, and serve immediately
Recipe By : COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL8759

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #304

Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 09:06:28 0500

From: "Angele and Jon Freeman" jfreeman@netusa1.net

NOTES : (courtesy of Lidia Bastianich)