Have you ever tasted gnocchi made without eggs and potatoes? They are just as good, lighter, and more digestible and can be dressed with any type of sauce or seasoning. Gnocchi without potatoes are very easy and quick to make, since we do not have to boil potatoes. The dough is made with boiling water, all-purpose flour, and semolina, which not only helps to dry the dough and hold the cooking well but also adds a note that I really like. When I make gnocchi without potatoes, using my family’s recipe, I prefer to use 2 parts white flour and one part semolina. Everyone will then find that balance of flavors that suits them best.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 1.3 lbs
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup re-milled durum wheat semolina
- 7/8 cup boiling water
Preparation
With these quantities, we will obtain about 1.2 lbs of gnocchi.
Heat the water in a pot.
In the meantime, sift the two flours together very well and place them in a large bowl, except for a generous handful that we will put on the work table and which will help us work the dough and avoid adding more flour.
When the water starts to simmer (it shouldn’t boil, but just be very hot), turn it off and pour it, little by little, into the bowl with the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir so that the flour absorbs the water (you won’t burn yourself with the spoon).
Do not pour all the water at once but slowly, as you may need less than what you have available; for example, my flour today only absorbed 3/4 cup (185 ml) of water; on other occasions, even just 1/2 cup (140 ml).
When the flour has absorbed the right amount of water, turn the dough onto the work table and knead it with the flour we set aside. Work it until you obtain a nice smooth, soft, dry dough that doesn’t stick to your hands; it will take about 5 minutes.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes under a cloth to prevent the developed gluten from making it difficult to roll and form the gnocchi.
After 10 minutes, take the dough, detach pieces of equal weight, and form long sticks about the thickness of a finger.
Cut our gnocchi, trying to give them the same size for even cooking and, using your index finger, roll them on themselves by dragging them on the table; alternatively, you can use the larger holes of a cheese grater, the tines of a fork, or the tool called “gnocchi board.”
Place them on a tray or baking sheet with a bit of semolina. We can prepare our gnocchi in advance and let them rest covered by a cloth until cooking time, or cook them immediately.
For cooking. Bring water to a boil in a large and deep pot. Salt it, let it return to a boil, and drop in our gnocchi. It will take about 5 to 8 minutes to cook, depending on the size.
Unlike potato gnocchi, these should not be drained when they float to the surface.
Stir them often with a skimmer and drain them only when they are well cooked, testing them by taste. Besides being soft to the palate, there should be no aftertaste of flour; I always taste them before draining.
The larger the gnocchi, the longer it will take to cook them. Those you see in the photo took about 5 minutes. Enjoy your meal.
