Easter feasting is around the corner. With reluctance due to the notorious Italian code of family-only secrecy, I’m finally sharing my Nonna’s gnocchi recipe. In an Italian family, holidays are punctuated by the long-treasured culinary traditions surrounding them. For Easter, that means a big bowl of gnocchi in the center of the table: a tradition she brought to America from the Italian countryside.

My Nonna was one of my best friends and the voice I carry with me throughout every moment. She is the narrator voice to my intuition, the punch to my gut feelings. There isn’t any part of my life which can’t be attributed to the deep, boundless love she raised me with. My passion for Europe and travel all started when she brought me Abruzzo as a little girl; I knew from that moment my life (and heart) would always lead me back to Italy. My Nonna didn’t only instill in me that I can live the life I dream, she raised me with the determination to never settle for anything less.

Moments in the kitchen reliving the culinary lessons she taught me is when I feel closest to her. With every knead of the dough, I hear her gentle direction. With every ingredient lovingly added, I see the hundreds of stories of wartime, perseverance and her life in Italy play out in my mind. Her recipes ground me to my spirit and purpose; in the famous words of Sophia Loren, everything you see I really do owe to pasta. My Nonna’s pasta.

Without waiting a moment longer, here is her recipe for authentic (as it gets) Italian potato gnocchi. Like most rustic Italian “poor people” food, it’s criminally simple, based on few ingredients and doubles as comfort food at its finest. I’m confident upon devouring these fluffy, perfect gnocchi for the first time at home, you’ll have a new tradition to bring your famiglia together (the purpose of food, afterall).

INGREDIENTS:

Prep Time: 1 Hour / Serving Size: 2 People

• 4 Medium Potatoes. As an Italian rule of thumb, gnocchi require two potatoes per person being served. I’ll be making gnocchi for two, so using four medium potatoes.
• 6 Cups Flour. I usually use white flour, but opted for whole wheat in this recipe, hence the darker color.
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sauce of Choice. Traditionally served with a meat-based sauce – bolognese – but can also be enjoyed with a simple marina sauce or pesto. Leave a comment if you want me to share sauce recipes!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Peel and slice potatoes in half. Place potatoes in boiling water and allow to cook until you can pierce a fork through potatoes. Once finished, drain and allow to cool completely.
2. On a clean, spacious, generously floured surface / wooden cutting board, put flour in middle. With hands, separate flour slightly in middle to create a hole (we are going traditional Italian gnocchi-making style).
3. Once potatoes are completely cooled, use a ricer to rice potatoes or simply mash them. Put mashed potatoes in the center hole of flour. With hands, create another hole in center of potatoes. Add egg and olive oil.
4. Slowly break apart egg with with a fork and combine with olive oil and potato. Then slowly work in flour from edges until all ingredients combined into dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes until a smooth, soft dough ball is formed. Put dough ball in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel; allow to rest for 30 minutes.
5. Separate dough ball into eight chunks and on floured surface, roll into long rope-like shape. With a knife or roller blade, cut gnocchi by cutting “rope” into 1-inch pieces until end. Place finished gnocchi on a separate floured surface, ensuring they don’t touch. Repeat this step until all dough used.
6. Bring salted water to a boil. Boil gnocchi until they float to the surface (about 3-5 minutes).
7. Serve with sauce of choice.

SERVING NOTES:

While I usually stick to the indulgent version, gnocchi are versatile and there are so many tiny swaps you can make for a healthier version. Instead of white flour, you can easily use whole wheat flour or a GF alternative. In lieu of the white potato, try sweet potato. If you want to skip the sauce you can also sauté with butter and sage. This is a culinary staple which can easily blend into every season, diet and kitchen. If you made more gnocchi than your appetite can handle or want to prepare in advance, you can freeze these darlings before boil.

Buon appetito!