In spite of being of Parisian origin, as their name implies, these gnocchi are very popular in northern Italian homes, and possibly better known there than they are in Paris.
Gnocchi alla parigina are easier to make than potato gnocchi. You can dress them with Parmesan and melted butter flavoured with garlic and sage or with the Gorgonzola sauce (see here). They are also delicious with a very thin béchamel to which 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and grated Gruyère are added at the end.
Serves 4
250 ml (9 fl oz) full-fat milk
100 g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
sea salt
150 g (5 oz) Italian 00 flour, sifted
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 free-range eggs
extra freshly grated Parmesan for serving
Put the milk in a saucepan, add the butter and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil.
Take the pan off the heat and add the flour, all at once. Beat very hard with a wooden spoon until well blended and then return the pan to the heat and cook, over a low heat, beating the whole time. This will cook the flour, thus getting rid of the unpleasant taste of uncooked flour. Beat until the paste begins to make a sizzling noise – about 3 minutes – then draw off the heat.
Mix in the nutmeg and the cheese and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, beating very frequently.
Add one egg to the paste and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Do the same with all the other eggs, incorporating one egg at a time and beating quite hard after each addition. This paste needs a lot of beating to aerate it. I use an electric beater for about 10 minutes. At the end the paste will be very glossy and smooth.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) mark 4.
Choose a large and wide saucepan or casserole of at least 3 litres (5 pints) capacity. Fill the pan with water and bring to the boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt.
Turn the heat down so that the water in the saucepan is only just simmering. Pick up small spoonfuls of the mixture and, with the heel of another teaspoon, slide them into the simmering water. Alternatively, pipe the mixture through a forcing bag fitted with a plain 1 cm (1/2 inch) nozzle, while cutting it into 2.5 cm (1 inch) lengths. Cook the gnocchi in 2 batches. They will soon come to the surface. Cook them for about 1 minute and then lift them with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean cloth to dry. Transfer them to a generously buttered ovenproof dish on which you have spread a couple of tablespoons of the sauce of your choice. Choose a large shallow dish so that the gnocchi can be spread out in a single layer.
When all the gnocchi are cooked, spoon over the remaining sauce and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes Allow to stand out of the oven for 3–4 minutes before serving with more Parmesan handed round.
preparation
The dish can be prepared in advance, and baked for about 25 minutes to allow the gnocchi to get hot all through.
Another excellent way to dress the gnocchi is with this cream mixture. First season the gnocchi with a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan. Then melt a knob of butter in a small saucepan and add 200 ml (7 fl oz) of double cream. Heat the cream mixture and then spoon it over the gnocchi. Bake for about 15 minutes in the preheated oven and serve with more Parmesan on the side.