Gnocchi alla Romana (Italian Semolina Gnocchi)
Gnocchi alla Romana, are soft little discs made from a mixture of semolina, milk, butter, eggs and cheese, placed in a baking pan, covered with butter and pecorino cheese and then baked in the oven! Where they form a golden, crispy crust that makes them irresistible!When you think of gnocchi, the first image that often comes to mind is of the pillowy potato-based dumplings from Northern Italy, swimming in rich sauces and offering comfort with every morsel.
Ingredients
- 250 g semolina (9 oz of )
- 1 liter milk (~4 cups, whole )
- 100 g Parmigiano cheese (1 cup, grated )
- 2 egg yolks
- 50 g butter (~1/2 stick, unsulted )
- fsalt (to taste)
- nutmeg (to taste)
- 50 g butter (~1/2 stick, unsalted )
- 40 g Pecorino (Romano, ~1/3 cup)
Instructions
- 1
--- MAKE THE DOUGH ---
- 2
Put the milk in a saucepan over low heat with 50 g (~½ stick) of butter, a pinch of salt and a little nutmeg.
- 3
Stir: When it starts to boil, add the semolina, stirring vigorously with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming.
- 4
Cook over low heat for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.
- 5
Add: When the mixture begins to pull away from the bottom, remove the pan from the heat and add the 2 egg yolks, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- 6
Add: Then add the grated Parmigiano a little at a time, stirring until incorporated.
- 7
Pour half of the hot mixture onto a sheet of baking paper.
- 8
Roll: Using your hands, form into a cylindrical shape. You can run your hands under cold water to prevent them from getting too hot.
- 9
Repeat the same process with the second half of the mixture and place the 2 rolls in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- 10
Cut: Once chilled, the dough will be firm and you can cut it with a knife into perfect slices about 1 cm (~⅓ inch) thick. To make cutting easier, you may want to moisten the blade with water.
- 11
--- THE BAKING ---
- 12
Arrange the semolina gnocchi on a buttered baking dish and sprinkle them with small pieces of butter (50 g-½ stick) and grated pecorino romano cheese.
- 13
Bake in a preheated static oven at 200°C (~390°F) for 30 minutes. If using a fan oven, bake for 20 minutes at 180°C (~350°F).
- 14
Brown: Finally turn on the oven grill and let them brown for 5 minutes. Once ready, serve your gnocchi alla romana piping hot!
Cook it from the original
This recipe comes from recipesfromitaly.com. Their page has the author’s own photos, notes and tips — the best place to cook it from.
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