Gnocchetti
Gnocchetti are small, shell-like dumplings shaped by pressing and flicking bits of dough against a gnocchi board or fork tines, creating a curled shape with an indentation on one side and ridges on the other. They are the diminutive of gnocchi and encompass a wide family of similar small pasta shapes found throughout Italy.
History & Tradition
Gnocchetti is a diminutive of the term gnocco and encompasses innumerable different but similar small pastas found throughout Italy. According to the Inchiesta napoleonica (1805-15), in Romagna when a child was born, if the baby was a boy, gnocchi (called maccheroni) cooked in milk had to be served; if a girl, lasagne. These small flour-and-water gnocchi were considered ritual dishes, served for New Year's luncheon with dried grapes as a propitiatory meal for future well-being and wealth, and also made for the last day of Carnival. Regional variations are vast: in the Marche, gnocchetti alla dispreta ("desperate woman's gnocchetti") were made from leftover polenta and flour, testimony to rural poverty.
Dough
How to Make
- Make a dough from flour (and optionally ricotta, potato, or other ingredients depending on the regional recipe) and knead until soft.
- Cut off a chunk of dough and roll it into a log about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.
- Cut the log into 1/2-inch pieces.
- With the side of your thumb, gently push each piece against a gnocchi board or the back of the tines of a fork.
- Roll and flick the dough to make a curled shape with an indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other.
- Place the gnocchetti on a prepared baking sheet dusted with semolina flour, making sure they do not touch.
- Cook in simmering salted water until they float to the surface, about 1 to 3 minutes.