Ingredients
For the gnocchi dough:
2 medium-sized eggplants (about 1 1/3 cup or 475g, cooked and mashed)
2 cups flour
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sauce of one's choice
Directions
o Prick eggplants. Wrap them in aluminum foil. Bake for about 45 minutes.
o Remove ends of eggplants. Using an electric blender, or other kind of utensil, mash eggplants (keeping skins and seeds).
o Weight the mashed eggplant and reserve 450 g (would fill a container of ricotta).
o In a mixing bowl, beat egg.
o Place 2 cups of flour in a large bowl. Add salt and mix.
o Add mashed eggplant to the flour and egg mixture and work into a soft dough (kneading two or three minutes by hand).
o Divide dough into portions. Shape portions into balls.
o Place balls of dough in two separate bowls. Cover with clear plastic and place in refrigerator.
o Let the dough rest for one to two hours.
o On a floured wooden board roll out one of the gnocchi dough balls to thickness of about 1/4 inch.
o Cut into strips -- about 3/4 inch wide and 1/4 inch long.
o Pass each strip of dough on a floured gnocchi board. Then using your two fingers (those closest to the thumb) press on the dough and roll it towards you, so that two tiny shell-like indentations are made on the pasta strips. Keep doing this until all the pasta strips are shaped.
o Place the gnocchi on a cookie sheet and freeze until needed.
o When needed cook the gnocchi in boiling water until done (about 4 to 5 minutes).
o Toss with sauce of one's choice.
Notes
Photo: Mary Melfi |
