5. Make small pellets of the mixture, shaping them quickly by rolling them in the palm of your hand. Ideally they should be no bigger than ½ inch across, but if you find it troublesome to make them that small, you can try for ¾ inch. The smaller the better, because they cook more quickly and favor a better distribution of sauce. If the mixture sticks to your palm, dust your hands lightly with flour.
6. If serving with sauce: Drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into 4 to 5 quarts of boiling, salted water. When the water returns to a boil, cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then retrieve them with a colander scoop or a large slotted spoon, and transfer to a warm serving platter. Spread over them some of the sauce you are using. Drop more gnocchi in the pot and repeat the whole operation. When all the gnocchi are done, pour the rest of the sauce over them, turn them rapidly to coat them well, and serve at once, with grated Parmesan on the side.
If serving in soup: Bring 2 quarts of Basic Homemade Meat Broth, prepared as directed, to a boil. Drop in all the gnocchi and cook for 3 to 4 minutes after the broth returns to a boil. Ladle into soup plates and serve with grated Parmesan on the side. When served in soup, gnocchi go further, and the recipe above should produce 6 satisfactory servings.
Recommended sauce Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream may be the most appealing, both in flavor and appearance; another excellent combination is with Butter and Sage Sauce. Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi are delicious as soup dumplings, served in Basic Homemade Meat Broth.
Gratinéed Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi
For 4 servings
The gnocchi from this recipe
A bake-and-serve dish
3 tablespoons butter plus more butter for greasing the pan
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Thickly smear the baking dish with butter.
3. Drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into 4 to 5 quarts of boiling, salted water. When the water returns to a boil, cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then retrieve them with a colander scoop or a large slotted spoon, and transfer to the baking dish. Drop more gnocchi in the pot and repeat the procedure described above, until you have got all the gnocchi cooked and in the baking dish.
4. Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and pour it over the gnocchi, distributing it evenly. Sprinkle the ½ cup grated Parmesan on top.
5. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to settle for several minutes, then serve at table directly from the baking dish with grated Parmesan on the side.
Baked Semolina Gnocchi
THE BATTER for semolina gnocchi, which in Italy are often called gnocchi alla romana, uses the yellow, coarsely ground flour of hard or durum wheat.
The problem some cooks have with semolina gnocchi is that in the baking, the batter runs together and they become shapeless. This usually happens because it has not been cooked long enough with the milk. I have found the batter requires at least 15 minutes of cooking and stirring for it to acquire, and later maintain, the necessary consistency.
For 6 servings
1 quart milk
1 cup semolina, coarsely ground yellow hard-wheat flour
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten in a saucer
2 tablespoons butter
An oven-to-table baking dish and butter to smear it
¼ pound prosciutto OR bacon OR boiled ham, cut into small strips
1. Put the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and turn on the heat to medium low. If possible slip a flame-tamer under the pot. When the milk forms a ring of tiny, pearly bubbles, but before it comes to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and add the semolina flour, pouring it out of a clenched fist in a very thin, slow stream and, with a whisk in your other hand, beating it into the milk.
2. When all the semolina has gone into the pot, stir it with a long-handled wooden spoon. Stir continuously and with thoroughness, bringing the mixture up from the bottom and loosening it from the sides of the pot. Be prepared for some resistance because the flour and milk mixture quickly becomes very dense. In little more than 15 minutes and less than 20, the mixture forms a mass that comes cleanly away from the sides of the pot.
3. Remove from heat, let it cool just slightly, for about a minute, then add two-thirds of the grated Parmesan, 2 teaspoons of salt, the egg yolks, and the 2 tablespoons of butter to the batter. Mix immediately and rapidly to avoid having the egg yolks set.
4. Moisten a laminated or marble surface with cold water, and turn the gnocchi batter out over it, using a spatula to spread it to an even thickness of about ⅜ inch. Dip the spatula in cold water from time to time as you use it. Let the batter cool completely.
5. Preheat oven to 400°.
6. When the batter has cooled off completely, cut it into disks, using a 1½-inch biscuit cutter or a glass of approximately the same diameter. Moisten the tool from time to time in cold water as you use it. (Do not discard the trimmings, see the note below.)
7. Smear the bottom of a bake-and-serve dish lightly with butter. On the bottom, arrange the gnocchi in a single layer, overlapping them roof-tile fashion. On top spread the prosciutto or bacon or ham strips, sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmesan, and dot sparingly with butter. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until a light, golden crust has formed and the prosciutto or bacon or ham has become crisp. After removing from the oven, allow to settle for 5 minutes before bringing to the table and serving directly from the baking dish. If you find that the underside of the gnocchi has fused together, it is perfectly all right, as long as the top side maintains its shape.
Ahead-of-time note Semolina gnocchi can be completely prepared and assembled in their baking dish up to 2 days in advance. Cover tightly with plastic wrap before refrigerating. Keep the trimmings, too, in the refrigerator, in a tightly sealed container.
Making Fritters from the Trimmings
Knead the trimmings together briefly into a ball up to a day or two before you plan to use them. When you are ready to make the fritters, divide the ball into croquette-size pieces, adding a pinch of salt and shaping them into short, plump forms tapered at both ends, about 2½ inches in length. Roll them in dry, unflavored bread crumbs and fry them in hot vegetable oil until they form a light crust all over. Serve as you would croquettes, or French fried potatoes, as though it were an accompanying vegetable, without any sauce.
CRESPELLE
WHAT ITALIANS CALL crespelle are very thin pancakes made from a batter of milk, flour, and eggs sautéed in butter. Italians work with them as if they were pasta wrappers, stuffing them with savory meat, cheese, or vegetable fillings. A basic recipe for making crespelle is given below, but any method you are comfortable with that produces thin, plain, unsweetened crêpes is satisfactory.
Crespelle
16 to 18 crespelle
THE BATTER
1 cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
⅛ teaspoon salt
FOR COOKING THE CRESPELLE
1 to 1½ tablespoons butter
An 8-inch nonstick skillet
1. Put the milk in a bowl and add the flour gradually, sifting it through a sieve if possible, while you mix steadily with a fork or whisk to avoid making lumps. When you have added all the flour, beat the mixture until it is evenly blended.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating them in rapidly with a fork. When both eggs have been incorporated into the batter, add the salt, stirring to distribute it.
3. Lightly smear the bottom of the skillet with some of the butter. Turn on the heat under the pan to medium low.
4. Give the batter a good stirring, and pour 2 tablespoons of it into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan to distribute the batter evenly.
5. As soon as the batter sets and becomes firm and speckled brown, slip
a spatula underneath it and flip it over to cook the other side. Stack the finished crespelle on a plate.
6. Coat the bottom of the skillet with a tiny amount of butter, and repeat the procedure described above until you’ve used up all the batter. Remember to stir the batter each time before pouring it into the pan.
Ahead-of-time note You can make crespelle several hours in advance, or even days. If you are doing them days ahead of time, interleave them with wax paper before refrigerating. If you are keeping them longer than 3 days, freeze them.
Baked Crespelle with Bolognese Meat Sauce
For 4 to 6 servings
Crespelle (thin pancakes) produced with this recipe
Béchamel Sauce, prepared as directed, using 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 1½ tablespoons flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups Bolognese Meat Sauce, prepared as described
Whole nutmeg
Flameproof ware for baking and serving
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Prepare the béchamel sauce, making it rather thin, the consistency of sour cream. When done, keep it warm in the upper half of a double boiler, with the heat turned to very low. Stir it just before using.
2. After making or reheating the meat sauce, draw off with a spoon any fat that may float on the surface. Put 1 cup of the sauce in a bowl, add ¼ cup béchamel, and a tiny grating—about ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg. Mix well to combine the ingredients evenly.
3. Preheat oven to 450°.
4. Choose a baking dish that can subsequently accommodate all the rolled up crespelle in a single layer. Lightly smear the bottom of the baking dish with butter. Lay one of the pancakes flat on a platter or a clean work surface, and spread a heaping tablespoon of the meat sauce filling over it, leaving uncovered a ½-inch border all around. Roll up the pancake, folding it loosely and keeping it flat. Place on the bottom of the baking dish, its overlapping edge facing down. Proceed in this manner until you have filled and rolled up all the crespelle and arranged them in the dish in a single layer without packing them in too tight.
5. Mix the remaining ¼ cup meat sauce with the ½ cup béchamel, and spread it over the crespelle. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan, and dot lightly with butter.
6. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and run the dish under it for less than a minute, just long enough for a light crust to form on top. Let the crespelle settle for a few minutes, then serve at table directly from the baking dish.
Baked Crespelle with Spinach, Prosciutto, and Parmesan Filling
For 4 to 6 servings
Crespelle (thin pancakes), produced with this recipe
1 pound fresh spinach OR 1 ten-ounce package frozen leaf spinach, thawed
Béchamel Sauce, prepared as directed, using 2 cups milk, 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, 3 tablespoons flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter plus more for greasing and dotting the baking dish
3 tablespoons onion chopped very fine
½ cup chopped prosciutto
1¼ cups freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Whole nutmeg
Salt
Flameproof ware for baking and serving
1. If using fresh spinach: Soak it in several changes of water, and cook it with salt until tender, as described. Drain it, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, squeeze it gently in your hands to drive out as much moisture as possible, chop it rather coarse, and set aside.
If using thawed frozen leaf spinach: Cook in a covered pan with salt for about 5 minutes. Drain it, when cool squeeze all the moisture out of it that you can, and chop it coarse with a knife, not in the food processor.
2. Prepare the béchamel sauce, making it rather thin, the consistency of sour cream. When done, keep it warm in the upper half of a double boiler, with the heat turned to very low. Stir it just before using.
3. Put the butter and chopped onion in a skillet or small sauté pan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it begins to be colored a pale gold, then add the chopped prosciutto. Cook for less than a minute, stirring to coat it well. Add the chopped spinach, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes or so, turning it over 2 or 3 times to coat it thoroughly.
4. Turn out the entire contents of the pan into a bowl, add 1 cup of the grated Parmesan, a tiny grating—about ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg, ⅔ cup of béchamel, and a pinch of salt. Mix until all the ingredients are evenly combined. Taste and correct for salt.
5. Preheat oven to 450°.
6. Choose a baking dish that can subsequently accommodate all the rolled up crespelle in a single layer. Lightly smear the bottom of the baking dish with butter. Lay one of the pancakes flat on a platter or a clean work surface, and spread a heaping tablespoon of filling over it, leaving uncovered a ½-inch border all around. Roll up the pancake, folding it loosely and keeping it flat. Place on the bottom of the baking dish, its overlapping edge facing down. Proceed in this manner until you have filled and rolled up all the crespelle, and arranged them in the dish in a single layer without packing them in too tight.
7. Spread the remaining béchamel over the crespelle. Make sure the sauce covers the ends of the rolled up pancakes and fills some of the space between them. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup grated Parmesan, and dot lightly with butter.
8. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and run the dish under it for less than a minute, just long enough for a light crust to form on top. Let the crespelle settle for a few minutes, then serve at table directly from the baking dish.
Layered Crespelle with Tomato, Prosciutto, and Cheese
HERE THIN PANCAKES are assembled in the form of a pie and layered in the manner of lasagne, with an earthy filling whose robustness benefits from the moderating delicacy of the crespelle—and vice versa.
The “pie” should be no more than 8 or 9 layers thick. If you need to increase the recipe, distribute the additional crespelle among 2 or more baking pans.
For 4 to 6 servings
8 to 9 crespelle (thin pancakes) made with this recipe, using half the recipe, or crêpes made by any other comparable method
FOR THE FILLING
A tomato sauce made using: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1½ tablespoons chopped parsley
⅔ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
Salt
A 9-inch round cake pan
Butter for greasing the pan
½ cup prosciutto shredded very fine
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
½ cup mozzarella, preferably imported Italian buffalo-milk mozzarella, diced very, very fine
1. Make the pancakes and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. To make the filling: Put the olive oil and garlic into a small sauté pan, turn on the heat to medium, and cook the garlic, stirring, until it becomes colored a pale gold. Add the parsley. Cook just long enough to stir once or twice, then add the cut-up tomatoes with their juice and a pinch of salt. Adjust heat to cook at a steady simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the tomato liquid has been reduced and has separated from the fat. Turn off heat.
4. Lightly smear the baking pan with butter. Choose the largest among the crespelle you made and place it on the bottom of the pan. Coat it thinly with tomato sauce, bearing in mind you’ll need enough sauce to repeat the procedure 8 times. Over the sauce sprinkle some shredded prosciutto, grated Parmesan, and diced mozzarella, and cover with another pancake. Proceed thus until you have used up all the crespelle and their filling. Leave just enough sauce with which to dab the topmost pancake and grated Parmesan to sprinkle over it.
5. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter
, without turning the crespelle “pie” over, but loosening it with a spatula and sliding it out of the pan. Allow to settle a few minutes before serving, or serve at room temperature.
POLENTA
PASTA HAS BECOME SO universally accepted as the national dish of Italy that it is difficult to believe that not much farther into the past than two generations ago, pasta was as foreign to certain Italian regions as it might have been to, say, Lapland. For a quarter of a millennium, in the Veneto and Friuli, as well as in much of Lombardy, it was polenta, more than any other food, that sustained life. Preparing it was a ritual, eating it was like receiving a sacrament.
It was made then, as it is today, in an unlined copper kettle, the paiolo, once kept hanging on a hook in the center of the fireplace. The hearth could often accommodate a bench on which the family sat as they watched the stream of cornmeal go glittering into the boiling kettle, and waited for the tireless stirring of the cook to transform it into a meal. When, three quarters of an hour later, the cornmeal became polenta, the golden mass was poured steaming onto a circular board. To a nineteenth-century Milanese novelist describing the scene, it looked like a harvest moon coming through the mist.
Polenta can be used in many ways, in a first or second course, as a side dish, or as an appetizer.
When Piping Hot and Soft
• With butter and grated Parmesan cheese melted into it, it can be eaten alone. A creamy gorgonzola, softened at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours, is marvelous when mashed into hot, very soft polenta together with some butter and Parmesan.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 30
