Roman gnocchi are semolina flour dumplings that make a fabulous entrée or a side dish. Their taste is surprisingly delicate because, during the cooking process, their volume doubles and their sticky, thick texture becomes fluffy, almost soufflé-like.
Ingredients:
(serves 6) A V
- 2 cups of semolina flour
- 1 quart of organic milk
- 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup of unsalted organic butter + 1 Tbsp. for the oven pan
- 2 egg yolks
- Salt
Pour the milk into a saucepan, add a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and start adding the semolina flour, little by little, stirring vigorously with a whisk to avoid forming any lumps; cook for ten minutes on low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon because this mixture will become very thick and stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the stove top and incorporate, stirring vigorously, ½ cup of butter, 3 Tbsp. of grated Parmesan cheese and, one at a time, the two egg yolks.
When everything is well blended and smooth, wet the bottom of a baking pan with cold water and pour this mixture on it, spreading it with a spatula to a half-inch thickness.
Let this mixture sit for two hours, until completely cooled down and firm, and then cut it rounds with a round molding ring.
No molding ring? No problem! Just cut them into squares.
Preheat the oven at 400 F.
Grease casserole with some butter and arrange the semolina rounds in rows, slightly overlapping them.
Cut the remaining ½ cup of butter into small cubes, scatter them over the semolina rounds and dust with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese.
Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top turns golden-brown.
Serve warm.