Gnocchi alla Lombarda No. 189

For the dough
Two or three big potatoes (sieved)
Two tablespoonful of flour
An egg, beaten with milk

Water for cooking gnocchi

For the sauce
Butter
Parmesan and Gruyere [or cheddar] cheese

"Boil two or three big potatoes, and pass them through a sieve, mix in two tablespoonful of flour, an egg beaten up and enough milk to form a rather firm paste; stir until it is quite smooth.



Roll it into the shape of a German sausage, cut it into rounds about three quarters of an inch thick and put it into the larder to dry for about half an hour.



Then drop the gnocchi one by one into boiling water and boil for ten minutes. Take them out with a slice and put them in a well-buttered fire-proof dish, add butter between each layer, and strew plenty of grated Parmesan and Cheddar over them.



Put them in the oven for ten minutes, brown the top with a salamander, and serve very hot."

This recipe was first published in "The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes," written by Mrs. W.G. Waters and published by William Heineman (1920). For the entire copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org..... P.S. The original recipe lists Gruyere cheese as an ingredient, but later when the directions are given this is replaced by cheddar cheese. So it's hard to know what to include, but probably both are equally good.... Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list