I wanted to create another savory recipe this week after eating my fair share of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Something hearty and warm to get through a cold, snowy week. I made a trek to the grocery store after feeling a bit lazy for a couple days, due to falling into a Pokemon-induced trance. I picked up basil and some semolina for pizza making, and I decided to make a lavish, homemade version of one of my mom’s dishes. Brown butter gnocchi alla vodka.

A Family Gnocchi Recipe

We first made this incredible gnocchi dish a few years ago when I felt stir-crazy during the pandemic. We were getting a little sick of making and eating the same rotation of meals. I needed something tasty and tangy to put a little pep in my step. So, we cracked open a package of store-bought pre-cooked gnocchi and made a homemade sauce. The package said to cook the gnocchi for a couple minutes, so we just had to make a rich, delicious sauce to accompany it.

We started with a base of sautéed garlic in hot butter. The way most of our meals start. Then I dug through the fridge and found the end of a tomato paste tube and whisked it in. We deglazed the pan with vodka and white wine when we ran out, then let it reduce. We added a heap of parmesan cheese to emulsify into the sauce and then tomato sauce and heavy cream. It became a beautiful, bright orange color. Dulled slightly by the heavy cream. All we had to do after that was pour in the gnocchi and cover, cooking for 2 minutes.

Eating in Italy

In order to make it even more special, we added some pieces of fresh mozzarella and fresh torn basil. I think we also used a little bit of olive oil for garnish. I remember sitting in front of the TV and eating while we watched the news, or Jeopardy, or some reality show, and we were flabbergasted by our creation. A creamy, tangy, rich and fresh dish with decent gnocchi that could definitely be improved upon. Still, it was so delicious, and the mozzarella added a chewy and creamy topping. The basil did so much to lift it up, too, and it feels distinctly Italian.

Since making it, and surviving a pandemic, I’ve been to Italy. I’ve eaten real gnocchi under an umbrella near the leaning tower of Pisa. Which is a pretty great memory. Real gnocchi should be pillowy, thick, slightly chewy, and still have a good potato flavor. I thought about bastardizing the recipe and adding bacon and chives and cheddar for some kind of loaded baked potato recipe. But I decided to stay true to the authentic recipe and build upon it by enhancing the presentation.

Recipe Research

I spent this week coming down from a painting high, after teaching another online watercolor class. I feel like I’m getting my rhythm now, and gaining a lot of confidence from practicing teaching my techniques to strangers. They have shared how excited they are, how much they learned, and I’ve seen family members gathered in their kitchens to unite over something as simple as art. It’s really uplighting. I’ve also been busy relaxing, which sounds like a contradiction, but I’ve really fallen in love with being in the moment. Playing a fan-made Pokemon game. Letting myself rest and relax. And I’ve really loved being with my family. Cooking. Hunkering down in the cold.

So, this recipe came at a great time. I offered to make dinner for my mom and wanted to make our brown butter gnocchi alla vodka. One of her favorite things. I haven’t craved it in a while. Just because I’ve been enjoying branching out from my obsession with cooking Italian foods. I could just eat pasta and pizza every day if I’m not careful. So, I did some research on gnocchi recipes and watched many chefs on YouTube. I scoured through blogs. And I developed my own potato dough with three uniquely shaped, heavy russets from the store.

Homemade Gnocchi Dough

I started by poking them with a knife and cooking them directly on the rack of the oven for over an hour. The two smaller ones came out after 1 hour, and I left the bigger boy in there for another 15 minutes. I carefully nestled them into a kitchen towel to protect my hands and scooped the meat out with a soup spoon. Into the chamber of my grandmother’s potato ricer. She gave it to me one thanksgiving after getting sick of making mashed potatoes, so I treasure it. I used it last year to try and create a makeshift moka pot for espresso in my tiramisu recipe. Before I was given one for Christmas.

After I riced all of my potatoes onto my favorite blue speckled baking sheet I let them cool slightly. Then I sprinkled on sea salt, parmesan cheese, and flour, which I weighed to the exact ounce. The rule of thumb is 3.75 oz of flour per lb of cooked potato. And one egg. I whisked an egg with one egg yolk and poured that over the floured dough, too. Then, I greatly enjoyed chopping the mixture up with a bench scraper until it looked like egg salad. At that point I got my hands out and kneaded the dough a little bit until it came together. Suddenly I realized I hadn’t heated up my pot of water to boil them, so I slid across the floor in my socks and filled it as quickly as I could.

Crispy Brown Butter Gnocchi

The longer you let the gnocchi rest, the more gluten it develops, which is not what you’re going for. It needs to be pillowy and soft. But, I think a little gluten wouldn’t hurt. I like gnocchi with a little chew. So don’t sweat it if it isn’t perfect. As my water boiled I split my dough into 8 equal pieces and rolled each into a thick, long, log. Instead of cutting them into small, classic gnocchi shapes I decided to leave them in tubes. Like Korean tteokbokki, but Italian. I couldn’t wait to whisk together that familiar rich, velvety orange sauce. When my dough was all ready, I floured my pieces on another baking sheet to keep them from sticking and then plunged them into the boiling, salted water.

They floated after a couple minutes. Like little white-yellow worms. And I spooned them out of the water onto yet another baking sheet and drizzled in a little olive oil. I let them cool and vacuum-sealed half for the next day. When you’re ready to cook, crisp them up delightfully in brown butter. I used my cast iron skillet and I was almost tempted to stop there and just eat the crispy, buttery gnocchi on their own. But, I had a mission to make brown butter gnocchi alla vodka, and promised my mom dinner. So I removed them from the pan and whisked up that lovely orange sauce. Starting with garlic brown butter, then tomato paste, white wine instead of vodka, parmesan, tomato sauce, and cream.

Vodka Sauce

My little gnocchi worms went back into the pool and swirled around in the orange vodka sauce. The house smelled delightful. I picked off a few leaves of fresh basil for garnish and readied my favorite black plate. I cooked my gnocchi in the sauce for a few minutes to reduce the sauce, too, and spooned them onto my plate. Garnishing my brown butter gnocchi alla vodka with verdant, aromatic basil leaves and a little olive oil and sea salt.

It tasted beautiful. Just like my mom’s brown butter gnocchi alla vodka sauce with a bright pop of tomato. A bitter and sweet background note from the wine. Some salt and flavor from the garlic butter. And fresh basil on top. I forgot to put on fresh torn mozzarella, like we usually do, and sprang to the fridge to grab it before my gnocchi cooled down. It melted delightfully into the sauce and retained a slight chew. The basil is one of my favorite parts. That familiar floral sweetness. I had flashbacks of so many meals from Italy as I ate it. The gnocchi was delightfully pillowy and a little springy. It held its shape perfectly and didn’t crumble or get gummy. I saved some to crisp up for breakfast the next day, which I’m so excited about.

A Great Winter Meal

This is a hearty, trusty, and delicious meal to make in the winter and the summer. The basil and tomatoes will taste better when they’re in season, but the thick, rich sauce and homemade gnocchi are comforting and wholesome for a good winter meal. I needed a little brightness from the basil and tomato. I just baked another oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the freezer to have for dessert, which I’m equally excited about. I’ve had my Italian fix for a little bit, and can’t wait to make next week’s recipe. A bit of a celebration for February 14th. Not for Valentine’s day. But for my favorite TV show returning.

It’s the little things. I can’t wait to eat chocolate to my heart’s content, keep relaxing, and ride the high of family time and good food through the rest of this hard winter. I’m looking forward to warmer days. The farmers market. Fresh basil and tomatoes.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recipes and paintings please check out Etsy for 100’s of my art prints and greeting cards, which have detachable recipes. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Until next time!

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Brown Butter Gnocchi alla Vodka

A homemade potato gnocchi with a luscious tomato-based cream sauce and basil

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword gnocchi, Italian food, vodka sauce

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2.25 lbs russet potatoes (1.75 lbs cooked)
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt
• 1/4 + 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp 00 flour + more for dusting
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup white wine or vodka
• 1/2 cup tomato passata
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
• Fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Poke holes in russet potatoes and place directly on rack of oven. Cook for 60 – 75 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
• Let cool slightly and slice open potatoes. Then, scoop out flesh into a bowl.
• Transfer potato to a ricer and rice all potato meat onto a baking sheet or clean counter. Spread into a thin layer.
• Sprinkle your warm riced potatoes with sea salt and parmesan cheese. Measure your flour into a small sifter and dust over the potatoes.
• Whisk egg with egg yolk in a small bowl and drizzle over your potato and flour mixture. Cut and mix your dough together with a bench scraper until it resembles egg salad.
• Using your hands, bring together your dough into a large cohesive disk. Immediately cut into equal portions and cover each with a damp cloth until ready.
• Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface into a long (16”) thin log. Cut each log into small squares or rectangles. If you want grooves in your gnocchi, press each piece on a gnocchi board or fork.
• Transfer gnocchi to a floured baking sheet, coating each piece lightly before boiling.
• Heat a large stock pot 2/3 full with water over high heat until boiling. Add a palmful of salt before boiling gnocchi.
• Cook your gnocchi in batches until it floats to the top. Remove with a strainer and transfer to a clean baking sheet or plate greased with a little neutral oil. Shake to coat.
• Once your gnocchi is all cooked and coated in oil, you can transfer them to an air-tight bag or container and chill overnight. Or, continue cooking immediately.
• When ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 4 tbsp butter until bubbly and lightly brown.
• Add your gnocchi and let rest in the hot butter to brown. Then, after 3-4 minutes, turn each gnocchi piece over or shake your pan and cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Remove gnocchi from pan and rest on a clean plate. Melt 4 more tbsp butter in your warm skillet and turn the heat down to medium.
• Sauté your garlic in the butter until perfumed, about 1-2 minutes. Then, add your tomato paste and whisk to combine.
• Deglaze your pan with wine or vodka and whisk together. Then, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook down until the alcohol evaporates, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add your parmesan cheese and tomato sauce and whisk into a red sauce. Reduce for 3-5 minutes.
• Add your heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add your cooked gnocchi and coat evenly in sauce.
• To with fresh mozzarella pieces and broil or continue cooking on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes to reduce sauce slightly.
• Serve your gnocchi on plates and top with fresh torn basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a light sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.