Learn how to cook your own Italian Gnocchi or Polish Kopytka
The amazing thing about Italian Gnocchi and Polish Kopytka is that if you learn to cook one you automatically know how to cook the other as they are generally the same thing! Italian Gnocchi is probably a more widespread and better recognisable dish. It also has a bit more sophisticated look and is slightly more time consuming. Anyway, both types are worth trying.
A dish from my childhood
As a child, I used to watch my grandma make kopytka quite often, so it is very much a dish I associate with my childhood. I would say they are fantastic comfort food and can be eaten both with savoury and sweet sauces. Also, it is a great use of leftover mashed potatoes.
The procedure
Start with mashed potatoes which did not get eaten the day before. Or, if you are making gnocchi/kopytka from scratch, peel 3-4 potatoes and boil them in slightly salted water. Strain them, mash and wait until they cool down.
Use a large bowl and place the mashed potatoes in it. Then follow the order of adding the ingredients:
- Sweet: mashed potatoes, 1 egg,
- Pungent: a pinch of ginger,
- Salty: a pinch of salt,
- Sour: plain wheat flour, the same amount as the potatoes,
- Bitter: a pinch of turmeric.
Mix all the ingredients well and transfer the mixture onto the kneading board. Knead for 1-2 minutes until you get smooth texture. If the dough sticks to your fingers add some flour. Divide the dough ball into 2 and then each one into 2 smaller ones again. You might need to repeat the process. Roll each ball into long strips and cut them into inch-long or shorter pieces. To make gnocchi, roll each piece over a fork placed curve up on the table. The details how to do it.
Final stage – the cooking
Boil in batches in a large pan with slightly salted water for about 1 minute or until all the pieces float on the surface.
Serve immediately. For the savoury option with Ratatuille – French Vegetable Goulash, or to make it sweet, sprinkle with some cinnamon, sugar and yoghurt on top.
The above recipe serves 2.
