Gnocchi

Ah, gnocchi. Or, Ñocchis, as they are called in Argentina. Unfortunately, I don’t have any Italian ancestors that I’m aware of, but I do have some (indirect) family connections to Argentina, where homemade pasta is common and ñocchis are a popular meal. My grandparents, Brent Bullough and Linda Bullough, served a church mission together in Argentina in 2007-2008. They spent time in bustling Buenos Aires as well as going to the southernmost part of the continent, Rio Gallegos, which probably boasts more penguins than people. My grandfather already spoke some Spanish before they left, but my grandmother struggled with the language and never really mastered it. However, she found other ways to communicate beyond the language barrier and made several good friends during their time there.

This connection is especially personal for me because not long after they got home, I also served a volunteer church mission in Argentina, and incidentally, my husband did too, in a different part of the country. During that time, I grew to love the Argentine people, their culture, and, of course, the food, which is heavily influenced by the Italian immigrants who settled there. While there, I enjoyed plenty of fabulous homemade pasta, pizza, and yes, gnocchi. I once asked a sweet Argentine abuela how she made her delicious ñocchis, and she replied that you need to boil and peel several potatoes, then press them through a sieve so they’re dry and airy. Then with a light hand, you mix in a little flour and egg, until it just comes together. She said that the best ñocchis are made with mostly potato and very little flour/egg, so the ñocchis are very tender and fluffy. Then, you put them in boiling water and cook them just until they float, then immediately scoop them out into a dish.

Well, armed with these instructions, I thought I could easily churn out lush potato pillows when I got home. But after a couple batches of soggy, chewy gnocchi, I soon realized this was an art that would require a bit more practice with an actual recipe. So here we are. I originally got this recipe from https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/potato-gnocchi, and it’s a good one. However, I’ve made some adaptions of my own, so my recipe now looks a bit different from the original.

I’ve seen several American gnocchi recipes which suggest skipping the “fork” step at the end for convenience and just leaving them in little pillows, and I’ve often done it that way. In Argentina (and Italy, of course), creating ridges with a fork is considered an essential part of the process, because those ridges help the sauce cling to the pasta, so they serve a functional, not just a decorative purpose. I remember watching kids whipping those things across a fork at factory speed, but it takes me a little longer. Basically, you put the gnocchi at the top of your palm, and then use the tines of a fork to quickly but firmly roll it down to the bottom of your palm. Then repeat with each piece. Anyway, I’ve done it both ways, and the “forked” version really are better with sauces, but you can try the “lazy” version if you prefer.

Here’s the recipe. (Adapted from https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/potato-gnocchi )