Gnocchi Recipe, straight from Florence

The best day of our "eat our way through Europe" trip was when we rolled up our sleeves and made homemade Italian food in an authentic Florentine kitchen. If you ever go to Florence, please take this private cooking class, Let's Cook with Jacopo (it has all 5-star reviews for a reason).

In the meantime, bring Italy to you with this gnocchi recipe straight from Jacopo's kitchen. If pasta and potatoes had a baby, it would definitely be gnocchi! Follow my easy-to-follow adapted cooking instructions and let the tender pillows melt in your mouth. 

As you can see, we literally couldn't wait to try our homemade gnocchi, hence this half eaten platter of tender pillows in this photo. 

Gnocchi Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes (2.2 Ibs potatoes, such as russet potatoes)
• 250 g flour (2 cups of flour, all purpose is fine)
• 50 g parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg (to taste, but if you're a measurey type, use 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp salt) 
• Your favorite sauce (such as homemade tomato and basil sauce)

Instructions

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until soft (about 45 min). While still warm, peel and pass through potato ricer (or break out a good ol' fork and get mashing)
2. Re-fill the pot with water and begin bringing it to a boil
3. On a flat surface, mix together the mashed potatoes and remaining ingredients. Continue to fold into a mass (a couple minutes), but don't over do it. To test if your dough is ready, roll a small piece with your hands; if it holds together, it's ready!
4. On a floured surface, take a small handful of dough and roll it into a 1/2-inch diameter rope. Additionally, cut that rope into 1/2-inch-long pieces
5. Shape each piece into the classic gnocchi shape with the help of a fork. Hold the uncut sides with your fingers, then roll and press the other sides with the tines of the fork to imprint a striped pattern. Try to work quickly because the dough will become sticky if it sits too long, making it difficult to shape the pieces
6. Drop gnocchi pieces in salted boiling water until each pillow floats to top (about 1-2 minutes)
7. Enjoy with your favorite sauce and parmesan to taste. Buon appetito!