If there’s one thing I love to do, it’s constantly experimenting with new dishes and trying recipes that are not from my regional culinary tradition! Roman-style gnocchi, for example, belong to this latter category since they are a typical first course from Lazio that I fell in love with right away — not only because it is very easy to make (no particular manual skills are required) but also because of its versatility, as it lends itself to countless variations depending on tastes. This is the basic recipe, but there are many versions you can create by adding vegetables of your choice to the dough, for example as I did, seasoning them with champignon mushrooms, tomato pulp and ginger — RECIPE HERE: HERE! Once the gnocchi are prepared, simply add plenty of cheese and let them gratinate in the oven until a delicious crispy crust forms, making them truly irresistible.
All “vegetarian” recipes are without meat and/or fish (N.B. they may include other animal-protein-based foods such as eggs and cheeses).
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian regional
- Region: Lazio
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
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- 1 1/2 cups Semolina
- 4 1/4 cups milk
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup grated Parmesan (+ as needed for gratinating)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 small bunch parsley
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Baking pan
- 1 Casserole dish
- 1 Cookie cutter
Preparation
Start by pouring the milk into a large saucepan and heat it with a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper and the nutmeg. When it reaches the first boil, whisk in the semolina gradually and stir continuously with a whisk for a few minutes to prevent lumps from forming.
Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and away from the stove add the butter, then stir until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Add the egg yolks, the grated Parmesan and stir until everything is fully combined.
Transfer the still-warm mixture into a lightly oiled baking pan. Spread it with the back of a moistened spoon to obtain a thickness of about 3/16 in and let it cool for 30 minutes. Using a round cookie cutter of about 1.5–2 in (or a glass of the same size with the rim oiled), cut out the gnocchi and place them, little by little, in a well-buttered casserole dish (fig. 4).
Slightly overlap them, then brush with a little oil and cover with a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Bake in a preheated oven at 374 °F for 15 minutes and then gratin for another 5 minutes using the grill function at 392 °F. Remove the Roman-style semolina gnocchi from the oven and serve hot with fresh parsley leaves.
And voilà… the Roman-style semolina gnocchi are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy your meal from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉You can store the Roman-style gnocchi in the fridge for 3–4 days once they have completely cooled, inside an airtight container, preferably glass.
1. Can they be prepared the day before?
Certainly! You can form the semolina base, cover it with cling film and leave it in the fridge; cut the discs only at the moment of baking and season them only shortly before placing them in the oven.
