Over the last ten years I have had to learn how to cook differently. Sometimes this was for a health reason, and others, a lifestyle change. We’ve done Vegetarian, Vegan, Pescatarian, Gluten-Free and just “healthier”. I found that rather than alter my entire cooking style, it always worked best to just turn my regular meals into what we needed them to be. Currently, we do a lot of Gluten-Free cooking for my daughter who has a gluten intolerance.
I am from an Italian family and so, cooking Italian is definitely in my wheelhouse. I feel my overall cooking style can be classified as “Homestyle” because I do a lot of comfort foods, but mix it up according to the seasons. In the summer we grill out frequently. That means instead of baking a chicken in the oven, I do it on the grill. In the old days we did this so as not to heat the kitchen up because we didn’t have air conditioning. I feel that’s still often the case, but it’s not as dire in today’s world with central air.
I have learned how to turn any of my Italian meals into a Gluten-Free version and find it particularly easy with the amount of different flours available now. When I first wanted to make GF gnocchi, I purchased them at the store. They were as hard as rocks, even cooked. Just like with everything, I decided to just make them from scratch.
While many people fear making homemade gnocchi, it really is not hard. It is more work than buying them in the store, but I promise you that it tastes a whole lot better. The hardest part is just working with the dough because it can be so dry and crumbly. I find working with wet hands to be the key. You don’t want to over-moisten your gnocchi because it will fall apart when you boil it, but you do want to keep it from being crumbly. Also, unlike regular gnocchi you should add the whole egg and not just the yolk. The extra moisture helps to hold the dough together.
Here’s the deal: practice makes perfect.
This is a good Gnocchi recipe for either Gluten or Gluten-Free versions. If you want to make regular gnocchi, use a good Organic All-Purpose Flour and only one egg yolk (in place of two whole eggs).
The secret to good gnocchi starts with the potatoes. Whatever else you do, it is imperative for good results to use Idaho baking potatoes and BAKE them in the oven. If you boil them, you’re on your own when they turn to mush in the hot water!
This recipe makes about 100 gnocchi, but it depends on the size you make them. I typically freeze half of them for future use. The one thing about the Gluten-Free gnocchi is that we don’t really like them leftover as much as the regular version.
I created this recipe for my son when he was eating Gluten-Free and I showed him how to make it. I still think about that day and thankfully snapped a few photos to memorialize it. Food is legacy and memories as much as it is nourishment. That’s why it’s so important to cook from scratch, instead of simply opening a pack of store-bought gnocchi. I hope you make this with your family or friends and create some memories of your own.
