Aunt Ida Mazza's Gnocchi

Aunt Ida Mazza’s Gnocchi

Published on November 8, 2014 | In By

Mitzi’s sister in uptown Monesson, Pennsylvania.  She verbally told Dottie how to make these gnocchis during a visit.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 1-1/2 cups instant potatoes
  • Additional 1/4 cup cold water

Instructions

  1. In saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Add salt and instant potatoes. Mix together until thick. Remove from heat.
  2. On board, put flour. Add potatoes, and knead all the flour into the potatoes.
  3. Make a well in the flour/potato mixture. Add eggs and 1/4 cup water. Knead well. Keep adding flour until the dough stops being sticky, and you almost think it's too much flour. You need them to cook as individual gnocchis, and if the dough is even a little bit sticky, they will glom together and you will have a gnocchi meatloaf instead of individual gnocchis. Don't give up after your first attempt; it takes practice.
  4. Roll out a portion of the dough on the cutting with your hands into a snake about half-inch diameter. Cut into pieces 3/4-inch to 1-inch long.
  5. When all the pieces are cut, press each piece with your index finger and press-pull it toward you to make the top part curl/roll over onto your finger. This gives it the chignon shape that store-bought gnocchis have.
  6. Let them rest on the cutting board for an hour or so to dry.
  7. To cook, drop them into boiling salted water. Let cook 4 to 5 minutes until they all float. Test a few first to get the timing right.
  8. Drain in a colander like regular pasta (don't rinse before serving), and serve with sauce

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