Paul Bertolli's Perfect Gnocchi: So Easy, a 2-Year Old Can Do It

When I went on a food book buying spree a few months ago, I picked up Paul Bertolli's outstanding Cooking By Hand, which has been on my radar for quite some time. I had borrowed this book from the library a few years back when I decided to start curing meat at home (there is a chapter dedicated to the craft, which Bertolli has pretty much perfected - but that's a story for another day). Not simply a collection of adapted recipes, this book is more like a compilation of essays, taking the reader deep into the thought process and philosophy of Bertolli's cooking. From pasta, to dessert, even to rediscovery of simple classics (a chapter aptly named "Cleaning the Fresco"), Bertolli provides complex analysis down to the seemingly insignificant minutiae that clearly demonstrate the makeup of a master chef.

The prose could be considered excessive and self-indulgent by some (get to the recipes already!), but that thinking would be missing the point of this book. Besides, the careful descriptions of each detailed step and its overall role in the finished product were tremendously educational, and kept me riveted. Nowhere was this more evident than in his writeup on classic potato gnocchi. I was attracted to this item right away, as it appeared to be one of the simpler preparations in the book, not to mention that I love to eat them. The poetic description of the virtues of this gnocchi recipe was quite compelling.

I feel obligated not to reprint the exact recipe, lest the copyright police stage a raid and lock me up. Get the book from the library, or better yet, buy it. This one dish is worth the price alone. The ingredients are pretty standard - starchy potatoes (like russets), flour, salt, and egg. The real magic, I think, is in the technique to bring these all together.

To prepare the potatoes: Boil the potatoes in their skins until fork tender. Drain and let cool only until you can handle them without burning your hands. Peel and rice them.

While the potatoes are still warm, add flour and egg. Kneed gently into a dough, being careful not to overwork it (don't want to develop too much gluten, okay?). Now the fun part begins.

I have fond memories of gnocchi making parties when I was a kid. And my 2-year old daughter loves to help me out in the kitchen (here she is making me proud by helping me cure some bacon), so it seemed a natural time to draw on here eagerness to help.

Rolling the gnocchi dough - Once the dough is ready, section into smaller pieces and roll into ropes, or "snakes" as my daughter likes to call them. 1/2" diameter is about right.

Cutting the gnocchi rope - Cut each rope into 1" long pieces. Make sure to keep them well floured during this stage. Look at that tiny, flour coated hand. Makes me want to weep.

Texturing the gnocchi - You can use a fancy gnocchi board to do this, but I find it works just fine with a fork, or a cheese grater, or anything else with a coarse texture. Texturing the outside of the gnocchi is not mandatory, but it does help to make a sauce adhere better. Just place a piece on the fork, lightly press your thumb and roll. This creates a little pocket on the inside, and a craggy texture on the outside.

A completed gnocco - Look at the look of concentration from my young sous chef. Impressive.

Elisabeth making a gnocchi "snake" - "I want to do it myself only, daddy!" And I tell you what, she made a darn good one. What can I say - she's got mad skillz.

Gnocchi sauteeing in brown butter - After a quick boil in generously salted water (they're done when they float up to the surface), the gnocchi were drained and tossed in a sautee pan into some brown butter. Not burned butter, but brown butter - important distinction. Sautee until the gnocchi begin to color. You could add sage or some other herbs here if you want. I skipped the green stuff and went straight up this time.

Perfectly cooked gnocchi, with a generous helping of Parmigiano Reggiano - Now that's what I'm talking about! If you've done it right, these morsels will be fluffy and soft. Oh, and they'll taste great too.

These were some of the best gnocchi I have ever made. My wife certainly thought that they were the softest and fluffiest, and I really couldn't disagree. In a word, they were, well, perfect. If you need to solve your gnocchi woes, do yourself a favor and check out Paul Bertolli's Cooking By Hand. After all, if Elisabeth can do it...