Preparation for Beetroot Gnocchi with Gorgonzola

• Tips for preparing gnocchi:  According to the classic recipe, potatoes must be white or red, old, without sprouts, and not peeled to avoid absorbing water during cooking. To achieve soft gnocchi, work the dough quickly before it cools and becomes sticky. The more you work the dough, the more flour it absorbs. If you can’t find fresh beetroot, you can buy it pre-cooked and vacuum-packed at the supermarket.
  Flour quantities may vary based on humidity; sometimes it absorbs more, sometimes less.
  Judge by eye when the dough is dry and homogeneous.

• Boil the potatoes and beetroot with the skin on in a steamer basket so they’re not in too much contact with the water. If using a pressure cooker, this makes cooking easier and they absorb less water. With a pressure cooker, count 15 minutes of cooking after it whistles. Drain and peel the potatoes while still warm, pass them through a potato ricer, and place them in a bowl or on a work surface, whichever is more convenient for you. Let them cool slightly before working them.

• Peel the beetroot and puree it with a food processor.
  
  Mix the potato puree with the beetroot puree, add a good pinch of salt, and gradually the flour (I recommend wearing gloves if you don’t want to stain your hands). Mix all the ingredients well and quickly. As mentioned before, the grams of flour can increase, depending on the humidity and the potatoes used, but don’t overdo it, or they’ll become gummy.

• Always have some extra flour on hand for working, sprinkle the work surface well.
  Roll into cords, cut into pieces of the desired size, pass them in the ridged wooden tool or with the tines of a fork, and place the gnocchi on a flour-dusted tray, so they don’t stick to each other.

  

• Take a pan, pour in the butter and gorgonzola, let it melt slowly for a few minutes, then add the grated Grana.
  
  Bring water to a boil, salt it, and add half of the gnocchi, taking them out with a slotted spoon when they float to the surface, and place them in the pan with the sauce. Add the rest of the gnocchi, cooking them in two batches to prevent them from sticking together if too many are cooked at once. Mix all the gnocchi well with the sauce, if needed, add a ladle of cooking water to make them creamier, plate, and serve hot.

• Tips:
  For other gnocchi recipes click here.
  For beetroot recipes click here
  

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