Potato Gnocchi

Potato gnocchi lend themselves to many variations. Here are three that commonly occur in delicatessens and restaurants:

Spinach Gnocchi:
Assemble the ingredients for basic gnocchi, and steam the potatoes. Meanwhile puree a packed half cup of spinach (feel free to use thawed frozen spinach) until it’s almost a liquid. Work it into the mashed potatoes along with the flour (you'll need more than with basic gnocchi), and you will have green gnocchi. Serve them either with tomato sauce or with unsalted butter, sage (figure a couple of leaves per diner), and grated cheese.

Tomato Gnocchi:
Assemble the ingredients for basic gnocchi, and steam the potatoes. Meanwhile, mince 5 sprigs of parsley and heat them through with 1/3 cup tomato sauce and a crushed garlic clove, in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Simmer the mixture for about five minutes, then remove it from the heat and discard the garlic; work the tomato sauce into the dough, adding more flour if need be, and you will have rosy gnocchi. These are especially nice with unsalted butter, sage (a couple of leaves per diner) and grated cheese, in summer.

Mushroom gnocchi: Assemble the ingredients for basic gnocchi and steam the potatoes. Meanwhile, steep a quarter cup of dried porcini in hot water. Once the mushrooms have softened, remove them from the water (strain and reserve the liquid) and mince them finely, with a clove of garlic and 5 sprigs of parsley. Sauté the mixture for a few minutes in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and when the garlic has turned translucent stir in 1/4 cup of dry red wine and the mushroom juice. Continue to cook until most of the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is fairly firm, though not stiff. Remove it from the heat and work it into the gnocchi dough, adding more flour if necessary. These will be nice with unsalted butter and grated cheese as a first course, and could also work as an accompaniment to a rich stew (especially if served with another vegetable or salad). In either case, serve them sprinkled with a garnish of minced parsley.

These are minor variations. There are also more substantial variations to the concept of gnocco. Some go into soups, others are desserts, and a couple are baked and lack potatoes – but they are good.

Basic Potato Gnocchi | Other Gnocchi Recipes