Baked Semolina gnocchi

Gnocchi di semolino gratinati con Grana Padano

When we talk about gnocchi we instantly think of the little fluffy pillows made of potatoes but in reality the word gnocchi is used to describe a very large variaty of preparation that all consists in a doughey mixture shaped into bite size form!

These for example are from Lazio, the region where Rome is and they are made with semolina instead of potatoes and the preparation itslef resemble more that of a classic northern Italian polenta instead of potato gnocchi. The semolina flour (finer grind of durum wheat flour) is in fact cooked in milk and dressed with butter and cheese and once cold and set is shaped into discs and baked to create crispy edges around the fluffly soft center.

It is a filling and very simple recipe, perfect for a growing family, in fact, my kids love it (as do I). I baked my gnocchi with a fresh tomato sauce (to make the family happy) and an aboundant sprinkle of grated Grana Padano pdo cheese.

Serves 6 pp // Prep time 20 mins // Cooking time 40 mins

Ingredients:

• 250 gr of semolina (fine)

• 1 lt of milk

• 3 egg yolk

• 120 gr of Grana Padano, grated

• 30 gr of butter

• Salt and nutmeg to taste

To bake

• 50 gr of butter to grease the tray

• 50 gr of Grana Padano, grated

• 500 gr of tomato sauce (cooked)

• Basil to garnish

Method:

To make the gnocchi seaon the milk with a pinch of salt and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Add the butter and pour in gradually the semolina while mixing with a wisk to avoid lumps. As it stars to boil it will thicken so use a spatula to mx. Cook while mixing costantly for about 3 / 4 minutes until you have a sort of polenta, a very thick mixture that detach from the side of the pot when you mix it.

Remove the the pot from the stove and stir in the eggyolks as well as the grated Grana Padano cheese. Mix well until uniform and while still hot shape the doughy mixture into 2 logs of about 4/5 cm in diameter. Wet your hands for this part if the dough is too hot or wear gloves. Help yourself with parchment or film and try to create logs that are as tigh as you can but do not over worry if they aren’t perfect.

Let the logs cool completely in the fridge for a couple of hourse than slice them into discs of about 2 cm thickness. Grease a baking dish with butter, lay the discs that we are now calling gnocchi on top of the tray and cover them with spoonfuls of tomato sauce. Optionally add a couple of knobs of butter and loads of grated Grana Padano cheese. Bake at 180 degree C for about 15 minutes until the gnocchi brown lightly on the surface. Serve immediately with a few leaves of fresh basil.

If you prefer, you can obmit the tomatoe sauce and grease the gnocchi with plenty of butter and cheese before baking them until crispy on the surface.