Welcome!
10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm Italy
For this class we’ll be making Gnocchi from flour. Potato Gnocchi can be difficult and might compromise the result of your dish. During this class we’ll learn to make the easiest Gnocchi recipe, only with flour and water and ready to eat in thirty minutes. It’s perfect for beginner cooks to master one of the most popular Italian recipes.
It’s a versatile recipe that goes with almost any sauce. In this class, we’ll try it with a simple sweet peas and pancetta sauce.
Class Notes/Announcements:
– For the best class experience, be sure to have your ingredients measured out and tools ready to go before the class starts. You can watch Chicca’s demonstration here.
– Read through the recipe and have the Recipe PDF available for reference during class.
– The recipe serves 2-3 people. You can double it, just know it may be harder to keep up in class.
– You can always freeze gnocchi uncooked and boil it later!
– Chicca recommends using 00 (double zero) flour. AP flour is ok but if possible, try to purchase 00 flour to get the right texture.
– We’ll be using a gnocchi board to shape the gnocchi. If you don’t have one, you can also use a dinner fork or cheese grater to create the texture. If you have time, watch: Chicca’s “ways to roll gnocchi” video.
– While the dough is resting, we’ll cook a sauce of peas, leeks, and pancetta to go with the gnocchi. Of course, you can substitute a different sauce of your choice if you prefer.
FLOUR GNOCCHI & SWEET PEAS
This unique pasta has many variations all across Italy where different regional traditions make use of a variety of ingredients: semolina, ricotta and spinach, breadcrumbs, pumpkin and many more. This gnocchi recipe, made without potatoes, is prepared just with flour and water. It’s the easiest homemade gnocchi recipe, ready in 30 minutes, light and delicious.
Equipment
- wooden work surface
- large pot to boil water and cook gnocchi
- long spoon to stir the gnocchi dough
- cheese grater
- Small sauté pan to crisp up pancetta or bacon (if using)
- Large sauté pan to fit gnocchi and sauce
- Kitchen towel to cover the dough
Ingredients
For the gnocchi dough:
- 250 g 00 double zero flour
- 250 g water - room temperature
- 25 g butter - room temperature
- 30 g parmigiano cheese - grated
- salt and pepper - to taste
- Coarse sea salt - a couple handfuls (for boiling water used to cook the gnocchi)
For the sweet pea sauce:
- 4 slices of pancetta or bacon - cut into smaller bite size pieces
- 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek (or spring onion)
- 200 g peas - cooked or frozen and thawed
- 45 g parmigiano cheese - grated
- salt and pepper - to taste
- We highly recommend measuring flour by weight. See this article: Why we measure by weight.
- I recommend using ’00’ (double zero) flour for the right texture. AP flour is ok but if possible, try to purchase 00 flour to get the right texture. What’s the difference between these flours (and others)? Check out this really great article.
- To get the best results, the dough should be made using equal weights of water and flour.
- Vegetable substitutions: this recipe is flexible! Use asparagus instead of peas. Shallots instead of leeks. Add or omit vegetables based on your own personal preference.
- Meat substitutions: if you can't find pancetta, you can also substitute this ingredient with bacon. You can also omit meat altogether.
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- In a large pot, bring water to boil over high heat with butter, a pinch of salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
- When water is boiling, add the flour all at once, turn the heat off and stir vigorously until all the ingredients combine together and a crumbly dough forms.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands (it will be hot, be careful!) until the dough gets soft and smooth. Knead the dough for just a few minutes, to combine the ingredients together and be able to roll it out.
TIP: Don’t overwork the dough. Over-kneading the dough will create too much gluten, and will leave your gnocchi hard and rubbery.
Cut the Gnocchi
- Take a piece from the dough and cover the remaining dough with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying. Shape the first piece of dough into a rope about 3⁄4 inch thick and 4’’ long. Cut the gnocchi along the rope from end to end into small pieces, the size of a hazelnut, the shape of a tiny pillow.
- Set the already made gnocchi on a floured baking sheet. To prevent them from sticking, dust with more flour if needed. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
TIP: It is important to attempt to keep the gnocchi all the same size so that cooking time is uniform.
Shape the Gnocchi
- To curl the gnocchi, you can use the back of a fork or a gnocchi board if you have one.
- Hold the fork (or the gnocchi board) in one hand and roll the gnocchi off of the tines of the fork (or gnocchi board), gently pressing down with your thumb as you go. This creates a cavity on one side and a pattern on the other, both of which will help the sauce to stick.
- You can skip step 6 and 7 (curling gnocchi) and just cook your gnocchi as little dumplings.
Start Boiling the Cooking Water
- In a large pot (for boiling the pasta), fill to about ¾ full with water and start heat on medium to medium/high.
Prepare the Sauce
- In a small sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the pancetta (or bacon). Turn the heat to medium-low and gently sauté to render the fat and get crispy. Once crispy (to your personal preference) turn off heat and place on the side. Reserve for later.
- In a sauté pan, large enough to hold all the gnocchi (30 cm diameter), add the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Add the leeks. Cover with a lid and sauté the leeks over low heat, until they are turning translucent and soft, stirring once in a while.
- Add peas, mix and cook until peas are soft, for about 5 minutes, with lid on. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Cook the Gnocchi
- Return to the cooking water and bring to a boil (if it’s not boiling already). Add the coarse sea salt.
- Put the gnocchi in the water and lower the heat. The water must retain a soft boil. Cook the gnocchi for a few minutes. They are ready when they float to the surface of the water.
- Scoop up the gnocchi with a small strainer and drain them very well, trying to remove as much liquid as possible.
Combine Sauce and Gnocchi
- Place the cooked gnocchi in the pan with the leeks and peas. Add the reserved pancetta (or bacon). Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese, toss everything together, and serve warm.
Notes
- I use a gnocchi board to shape the gnocchi. If you don’t have one, you can also use a dinner fork, the back of a grater, or another tool that will imprint a texture. See video here.
Pancetta & Sweet Peas Sauce
This is a tasty sauce that makes a great base for pasta. It can also be made without meat, or substituting other vegetables of your choice.
Equipment
- cheese grater
- Large sauté pan to fit sauce and pasta
Ingredients
- 3-4 slices pancetta - (or bacon), diced
- 2-3 cups sweet peas - cooked, or frozen and thawed
- 45 g parmigiano cheese - grated
- 1 leek - (or spring onion), finely chopped
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Cover the bottom of a sauté pan, large enough to hold all the gnocchi (30 cm diameter), with extra virgin olive oil.
- Sauté pancetta (or bacon if using) and then the leeks over low heat. Sauté together for about 5-8 minutes and cook until the leeks are turning translucent and soft, stirring once in a while.
- Add peas and cook until peas are soft, for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat off cover with a lid.
Notes
Vegetable substitutions: this recipe is flexible! Use asparagus instead of peas. Shallots instead of leeks. Add or omit based on your own personal preference.