The Great Gnocchi Debacle Of 2012

[lpellegr]

I can usually hand-make anything I crave and it comes out okay, but I just had a specTACular failure! I am both disappointed and amused by how hard it failed. I combined ricotta, thawed and squeezed chopped spinach, an egg, parmesan cheese, and a bunch of Bette Hagman's original flour blend. That flour does a great job thickening things, so I figured it would hold the gnocchi together. No xanthan gum. I didn't want them to get too dense, so maybe I used less flour than I should, but they were a bit too sticky to roll out into the traditional rope for cutting into individual gnocchi, so I rolled spoonsful into balls and then flattened them with a fork, froze them on a tray, then bagged them for the freezer. Tonight I boiled water, dropped them in, and watched them mostly dissolve into white soup full of spinach bits. I managed to fish out a bowl full of enough blobs to make a dinner of, but something obviously went wrong. I recall making successful potato gnocchi (as long as I didn't cook them too long), so anybody have ideas for me? Should I have used xanthan gum? More or different flour? Cooked fresh and not attempted to freeze? These were gnot the gnocchi I gneeded.

[love2travel]

I can usually hand-make anything I crave and it comes out okay, but I just had a specTACular failure! I am both disappointed and amused by how hard it failed. I combined ricotta, thawed and squeezed chopped spinach, an egg, parmesan cheese, and a bunch of Bette Hagman's original flour blend. That flour does a great job thickening things, so I figured it would hold the gnocchi together. No xanthan gum. I didn't want them to get too dense, so maybe I used less flour than I should, but they were a bit too sticky to roll out into the traditional rope for cutting into individual gnocchi, so I rolled spoonsful into balls and then flattened them with a fork, froze them on a tray, then bagged them for the freezer. Tonight I boiled water, dropped them in, and watched them mostly dissolve into white soup full of spinach bits. I managed to fish out a bowl full of enough blobs to make a dinner of, but something obviously went wrong. I recall making successful potato gnocchi (as long as I didn't cook them too long), so anybody have ideas for me? Should I have used xanthan gum? More or different flour? Cooked fresh and not attempted to freeze? These were gnot the gnocchi I gneeded.

Interesting. How much flour did you put in, do you know? You had the ingredients right. I definitely would NOT use xanthan gum. I used to make gluten gnocchi all the time and did not use it then. I still do not use it for gluten-free gnocchi. What does Hagman's blend include? Freezing them is completely fine. Just curious about the blend and how much you used in relation to everything else.

Ricotta gnocchi is far more delicate and pillowy soft than potato gnocchi which is evident when you are making it.

You're right - gnot the gnocchi you gneaded!

[pricklypear1971]

Here's a recipe I found for gnocchi - been meaning to try it. Don't know if it will help or not.

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I have a bookmark somewhere for a blogger who went round and round with it and finally came up with something. I specifically remember the "dissolving" part. If I find it I'll post it.

[lpellegr]

The flour mix was white rice, tapioca, cornstarch, and potato starch (I forget the proportions at the moment), typical of the earliest blends before people started going for higher protein flours. I didn't measure - just kept adding and mixing, since I was using leftover ricotta and didn't measure it. I was aiming for slightly sticky, not completely dry, but I think I stopped too soon. I was adapting loosely from Lydia Bastianich's recipe for ricotta gnocchi.

[pricklypear1971]

Here it is.

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[pricklypear1971]

And another:

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[Mizzo]

I would guess you need a tougher flour, maybe Amaranth or Sorghum .

[lpellegr]

Thanks for the recipes - these have potato, but I was trying for ricotta gnocchi to use up my lasagna leftover. One is also pan-fried instead of boiled, so that would solve the falling-apart-in-boiling-water problem. I'll have to keep trying. I know I have had success with potato gnocchi, but maybe ricotta needs more magic.

[pricklypear1971]

Thanks for the recipes - these have potato, but I was trying for ricotta gnocchi to use up my lasagna leftover. One is also pan-fried instead of boiled, so that would solve the falling-apart-in-boiling-water problem. I'll have to keep trying. I know I have had success with potato gnocchi, but maybe ricotta needs more magic.

I haven't found one using ricotta. Oddly enough, most of the bloggers attempting it are Vegan. I did notice they talked about adding more flour. Repeatedly.

[love2travel]

Thanks for the recipes - these have potato, but I was trying for ricotta gnocchi to use up my lasagna leftover. One is also pan-fried instead of boiled, so that would solve the falling-apart-in-boiling-water problem. I'll have to keep trying. I know I have had success with potato gnocchi, but maybe ricotta needs more magic.

I make my own ricotta for my ricotta gnocchi. I think you may need to add more flour to keep them together in the water. They are worth re-trying as they are so incredibly light and gorgeous! I don't really use a recipe otherwise I would post. Have you tried sweet potato or butternut squash gnocchi? Wonderful!

[love2travel]

Another question for you - did you squeeze the daylights out of the ricotta? It must be firm with absolutely no liquid. Even a little can make a difference. I strain mine overnight then squeeze using a cloth.

[cyberprof]

OP, I love gnocchi but haven't tried boiling the ricotta gluten-free gnocchi (only the potato kind). If you want to use up leftover lasagne filling you can use this receipe, which i've posted before and love. Now I'm craving it and have to have it for dinner:

I am part Italian and I loved Italian pasta, ate it all the time. But even gluten-free pasta is not good for me and I've reduced my refined carbs. However, I can't give up my Italian food so I'm always on the look-out for fun dishes. This one has the benefit of not only being gluten-free and low grain AND it's also quicker than lasagne. One caveat is that it is not low fat and would be hard to convert to dairy-free but now that my CF/DF son has gone to college I get free rein.

The recipe calls for homemade pasta sauce but I used jarred.

It is a really pretty dish with the Italian Flag colors - red, green and white. Would be good for a dinner party or potluck. Enjoy!

Baked Spinach Dumplings

Malfatti gratinati (sometimes called gnocchi gnudi or ravioli gnudi, nude gnocchi and nude ravioli)

Adapted from Twelve: A Tuscan Cookbook and this blog http://newfinmysoup....-tradition.html

Serves 6-8 (about 30 dumplings)

1 quantity of B

[lpellegr]

Thanks, all. That recipe for baked spinach dumplings sounds like what I made, but not boiled, so maybe that's the key. I made regular flour ricotta gnocchi back in my wheat-eating days without draining, so I thought that would work, but maybe not with gluten-free flour. At any rate, I think with all these suggestions I will have a good way to use up my leftover ricotta before it turns brown and yicky from neglect (and believe me, this is really gross).

[cyberprof]

I can't remember if I've posted this here before...yummy. No modifications needed to make it gluten-free - it's naturally gluten-free.

Eggplant Parmesan Rolls with Swiss Chard and Fresh Mint from Bon Appetit Mag

I've made it with spinach instead of chard and basil or oregano instead of mint.

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The Original: Breaded, fried eggplant with a thick oregano-flavored tomato sauce. Our Version: Broiled slices of eggplant wrapped around a mint-and chard-flecked ricotta filling

2 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4 pounds total), trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Coarse kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center ribs removed

2 large eggs

1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 15- to 16-ounce can tomato sauce

1 8-ounce ball fresh water-packed mozzarella,* drained, thinly sliced

Cover bottom and sides of each of 2 large colanders with 1 layer of eggplant slices; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Continue layering eggplant slices in each colander, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt, until all eggplant slices are used. Place each colander over large bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse eggplant slices to remove excess salt; dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Position oven rack 5 to 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil. Broil 1 sheet at a time until eggplant slices are tender and beginning to brown, watching closely and removing eggplant slices as needed if cooking too quickly, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool eggplant while preparing filling.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add chard to pot and boil just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Squeeze chard very dry, then chop coarsely. Squeeze chard dry again between paper towels. Whisk eggs and pinch of coarse salt in medium bowl. Stir in chopped chard, ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, mint, and black pepper.

Lightly oil 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread half of tomato sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Divide chard-ricotta filling among eggplant slices, placing about 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each. Starting at 1 short end of each, loosely roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling. Arrange rolls, seam side down, atop sauce in baking dish. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over. Place mozzarella slices in single layer over rolls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and chill.

Preheat oven to 350

[lpellegr]

That would be a great recipe if I actually liked eating chard and eggplant. I can force myself, but eggplant is most edible when heavily breaded, thoroughly fried (while absorbing absurd amounts of olive oil), and drowned in mozzarella and red sauce! But thanks anyway.