Intrigued by this typical Lazio recipe, besides enjoying it in its classic version I preferred to enrich it with additional flavor using a sauce made from tomato passata, champignon mushrooms, olives and ginger, and that final touch of Emmental melted on top — it’s wonderful! That’s the beauty of cooking: a recipe is born in one place, then travels, enters homes and transforms to speak the language of whoever cooks it. Yes, because for those of us from the South, the topping might be even more important than the preparation itself! For the record, the original Lazio recipe was delicious and very respectable, but my husband, who is a fan of stronger flavors, gave a lukewarm approval, so, partly to please him, I tried to adapt it to his tastes, personalizing it my way. And here is the result — yes, I realize it’s a bold move, especially adding ginger, but in my opinion it’s winning because it gives that fresh, pungent note capable of cutting the Emmental! It will therefore be interesting to experiment playing with the seasonality of vegetables and create different variations! For example, I think I’ll go for a version with eggplants — what do you say? Have I managed to intrigue you?
All “vegetarian” recipes are without meat and/or fish (N.B. they may include other animal-based protein foods such as eggs and cheeses).
Other gnocchi recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
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- 4 1/4 cups Milk
- 1 1/2 cups semolina (durum wheat semolina)
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2 oz grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 12 oz champignon mushrooms (about 5 cups sliced)
- 1 cup cherry tomato passata (cherry)
- 2 oz emmental
- 6 pitted black olives
- 1 oz grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
- 1 sprig parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Dish towel
- 1 Pan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Baking dish
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Baking tray
Preparation
Start by preparing the sauce for the gnocchi, cleaning and trimming the mushrooms: cut off the very end of the stem where dirt is present and, without washing them, gently rub them with a clean, well‑damped cloth to remove any remaining dirt.
On a cutting board, place the mushrooms with the cap facing down and slice them thinly.
In a nonstick pan, brown the garlic with the oil. As soon as it starts to sizzle, remove it and add the mushrooms.
Season with salt and pepper and let them sauté gently over low heat for 5-6 min, stirring occasionally and gently, then season with the chopped parsley.
Now add the cherry tomato passata, flavor with 1 teaspoon of ginger and continue cooking for another 5 min. Adjust salt if needed and turn off the heat.
Separately, prepare the semolina gnocchi according to the basic recipe .
Place them slightly overlapping in a lightly buttered baking dish as required by the traditional recipe.
Top with the ginger mushroom sauce, add the pitted olives, the Emmental cut into slices and sprinkle the surface with grated Parmesan. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 15-18 min or until the cheese is well melted.
Serve hot.
And voilà… the semolina gnocchi Roman style with champignon mushrooms and ginger are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy your meal from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉You can store the gnocchi already dressed in the fridge inside an airtight container for 2-3 days. When reheating, add a splash of milk or water to revive the tomato sauce that tends to dry out.
👉Semolina gnocchi freeze very well. You can freeze them in the freezer either already cooked or ready to bake directly in the tray with the sauce and Emmental, covering them well with plastic wrap, for up to 1-3 months. Transfer them directly from the freezer to a hot oven (392°F) for about 15-20 min; they will be perfect!
1. What can I do with leftover semolina scraps?
Don’t throw them away! You can quickly rework them to form irregular gnocchi or small meatball-like pieces to cook along with the others.
