This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Crunchy and soft at the same time, these Roman-style gnocchi are the quintessential Italian family dish: semolina cooked in milk, egg yolks and baked au gratin with grated cheese! They're super-simple to make, ultra-comforting and perfect for those lazy evenings!
You can eat gnocchi as an appetizer, as a main course (as we do at home) or as a side dish with meat or vegetables.
For the record, this is a recipe I'm particularly fond of, as it's the one my Italian grandmother (she comes from Genoa) made for me throughout my childhood.
She always did it on the fly, and her gnocchi were different every time. She then passed on her incredible helping hand to my mother, who passed it on to me. And I'll try to pass it on as faithfully as possible to my children!
And if you like gnocchi, you'll love my creamy gnocchi with cherry tomatoes and burrata or my sweet potato gnocchi.
💙 Why you'll love them
- They're easy to prepare, and once in the oven, all you have to do is wait for them to cook .
- They require very few ingredients, most of which you're sure to have in your cupboards!
- They're delicious, comforting and practical when you don't know what to do.
🧈 Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients. You can find the quantities in the recipe card below.
- Milk: use semi-skimmed milk instead.
- Semolina: fine wheat semolina. Not to be confused with the semolina used in couscous, it will always be a little thicker than the packets that actually say "fine semolina".
- Eggs - ideally pasture-raised organic. You can refer to the Eco Tips I've written on eggs to help you choose the right ones.
- Cheeses: Parmesan and Emmental. If you can grate them yourself, it's even better! Otherwise, buy store-bought cheeses.
- Butter: soft.
🥰 Chef's tips
- When cooking semolina with milk and salt, don't turn the heat up too high - it's much easier to control the cooking process.
- If you've turned the heat up too high and the gnocchi have become too thick, you can always make up for it by diluting with milk!
- Beat the egg yolks before adding them.
- When you lay out the gnocchi on the board before letting them rest, don't make the rectangle too flat. The thickness should be at least 1 inch. If it's too flat, your gnocchi won't puff up when cooked.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is often confused with polenta, yet it's not the same at all: Roman-style gnocchi are made with wheat semolina and then gratinated with cheese, which is not the case with polenta. Additionally, polenta is made from cornmeal.
Don't throw them away! You can make meringues with them.
❄️ Storage
Wait until the gnocchi à la romaine are completely cold before placing them in a hermetically sealed dish and then in the fridge. You can keep them like that for 48 to 72 hours.
To reheat, place in the oven at 355°F/180°C for ten minutes or so.
🇮🇹 Other Italian gems
- Italian panzerotti with tomato, mozzarella and Parma ham
- Margherita pizza with mozzarella filled-edges
- Easy homemade focaccia
If you make these Roman semolina gnocchi, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!
📖 Recette
Roman semolina gnocchi
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups regular milk + about 1 cup more, if needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups extra-fine wheat semolina
- 5 egg yolks
- 3 ½ tablespoons Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup Swiss cheese grated
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter + a little more for greasing the dish
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat 4 ¼ cups regular milk. Once it's steaming, reduce the heat to low and add the semolina and some salt. Stir continuously with a whisk and let it cook until the mixture thickens slightly (this can take about ten minutes). It should not be too liquid or too solid and should be able to spread on a board without dripping.
- Once cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the egg yolks, previously beaten in a bowl. Gently mix, and if it's too thick, you can thin it out with a bit of milk. Spread the mixture on a rectangular board (it shouldn't be too flat, about 1-inch thick).
- Preheat your oven to 390°F/200°C in convection mode and let it rest as is for 1 hour. Grease an ovenproof dish and, using a glass, create rounds and place them inside with a spatula. Reform a rectangle (if the dough has become too dry, add a bit of milk), and form rounds again, placing them in the dish. Repeat this process until you've used up all the dough.
- On each of the rounds, place a small knob of butter. Once all the gnocchi are in place, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and then the gruyere.
- Finally, put it all in the oven for 40-45 minutes until everything is nicely browned. Enjoy your trip to Italy!
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Répondre