Roman Gnocchi

Woooot wooooot!!!!!!!!! I’m finally home for a breath of fresh air (friends, family, Wes, Junior, cooking). I’ve been home from my ten-day business trip to Vegas and New York for less than twenty-four hours but already it is such a relief!

While I love traveling, ESPECIALLY to New York, work travel takes a toll. The non stop working coupled with not seeing my loved ones and a general lack of personal time always has me VERY ready to come home.

Now that I’m traveling more, the reality is that I’m going to be able to cook or write nearly as much as I have been or would like to. Thank goodness I’m making up for it in spades with the dining I’m doing. No matter where I am, I am making serious points to be eating and exploring new ingredients and cuisines. Most notable on my trip was for sure the sea urchin tagliatelli at Basta Pasta in NYC. This Italian restaurant was started in Japan and the menu is scattered with tasty Japanese ingredients cooked up in a decadent Italian style.

In the spirit of mixing up something traditional, I’m sharing a major Italian throwback that you probably haven’t been exposed to.

You probably know gnocchi as little tasty potato pasta balls of goodness. But in old Roma, they were made with semolina flour, milk and cheese and baked. While I would never turn down either form, Roman gnocchi are sinfully delicious in a way that can only be created by milk, cheese and butter.

You will need…

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 ½ cups whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semolina flour

1 stick butter, sliced into 4 cubes plus 1 tablespoon extra to butter the baking dish

1 egg yolk

1 ½ cups grated Parmesan

4 ounces taleggio, sliced

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until it is warm. Add in the garlic and simmer until the garlic begins to turn golden around the edges. 

Before the garlic browns, pour in the milk.

Bring the milk to a gentle simmer and stir often as to make sure you don’t scorch the milk. Season with salt. 

When the milk begins to simmer, gradually pour in the semolina flour and stir/fold the mixture until it becomes somewhat dough like and thick.

Add in 1 butter cube at a time while still stirring until each cube has melted ad been absorbed.

When all the butter has been absorbed, turn off the heat and add in the cheese and egg yolk. Combine the mixture quickly by folding in the additional ingredients to ensure the egg doesn’t cook.

Combine until the mixture is smooth and dough like (it will become thick and difficult to combine).

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spread out the dough in an even smooth layer using a plastic spatula. You want the dough to be between 3/8-1/2 inch thick. Allow the mixture to cool until it is firm and easy to handle. About 45 minutes.

Slice the dough into even cubes or rectangles and stack the slices 3 tall in a lightly buttered baking dish.

Top each stack with a slice of taleggio and bake in the oven until golden brown on top and fluffy. About 20 minutes.

Serve hot as is or with your favorite sauce.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Roman Gnocchi

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 ½ cups whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semolina flour

1 stick butter, sliced into 4 cubes plus 1 tablespoon extra to butter the baking dish

1 egg yolk

1 ½ cups grated Parmesan

4 ounces taleggio, sliced

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until it is warm. Add in the garlic and simmer until the garlic begins to turn golden around the edges. Before the garlic browns, pour in the milk.

Bring the milk to a gentle simmer and stir often as to make sure you don’t scorch the milk. Season with salt. 

When the milk begins to simmer, gradually pour in the semolina flour and stir/fold the mixture until it becomes somewhat dough like and thick.

Add in 1 butter cube at a time while still stirring until each cube has melted ad been absorbed.

When all the butter has been absorbed, turn off the heat and add in the cheese and egg yolk. Combine the mixture quickly by folding in the additional ingredients to ensure the egg doesn’t cook.

Combine until the mixture is smooth and dough like (it will become thick and difficult to combine).

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spread out the dough in an even smooth layer using a plastic spatula. You want the dough to be between 3/8-1/2 inch thick. Allow the mixture to cool until it is firm and easy to handle. About 45 minutes.

Slice the dough into even cubes or rectangles and stack the slices 3 tall in a lightly buttered baking dish.

Top each stack with a slice of taleggio and bake in the oven until golden brown on top and fluffy. About 20 minutes.

Serve hot as is or with your favorite sauce.