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Gnocchi alla romana – recipe for a great side dish
Does the word gnocchi alla romana make you think of small, round balls of fluffy potato dough? But these gnocchi are completely different! Gnocchi alla romana are a typical dish from the Lazio region. What makes them special? They are not made from potatoes, but from semolina, milk, cheese and egg.
Does the word gnocchi alla romana make you think of small, round balls of fluffy potato dough? But these gnocchi are completely different! Gnocchi alla romana are a typical dish from the Lazio region. What makes them special? They are not made from potatoes, but from semolina, milk, cheese and egg. All of these ingredients are cooked into a kind of polenta, which is poured onto a board. Circles are then cut out of the cooled mixture and baked in the oven.
The history of gnocchi alla romana
Today, gnocchi alle Romana are on the menu in almost every Roman osteria. Traditional Roman cuisine is originally relatively simple and rustic. The Romans have a talent for making the best out of the simplest of ingredients. Because the gnocchi contain so much butter, there is a suspicion in Italy that the dish actually comes from the Piedmont region.
Gnocchi alla romana – Serving suggestion
Serve the gnocchi as a classic starter with a fruity tomato sauce, optionally garnished with polpette, the delicious Italian meatballs. It is also possible to gratinate the gnocchi with gorganzola sauce. The gnocchi are also perfect as a side dish to a spicy ossobucco with lots of sauce!
Gnocchi alla Romana
Gnocchi alla romana – recipe for Roman semolina slices
In Rome, gnocchi alla romana is traditionally eaten on Thursdays. There is a saying “Giovedì gnocchi, Venerdi pesce (or “ceci e baccalà”), Sabato Trippa”. In translation, this means something like: Gnocchi on Thursday, fish (or chickpeas and stockfish) on Friday, and tripe on Saturday.
Persons: 4
Difficulty: easy
Menu sequence: Main course
Preparation time: 90 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g durum wheat semolina
- 1 l milk
- 100 g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 150 g Parmigiano reggiano (or pecorino)
- 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION
- Slowly heat the milk in a large pan, add a good tablespoon of butter, salt and freshly grated nutmeg. When the milk starts to boil, add the semolina, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook the porridge over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the porridge thickens. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the egg yolk and half of the grated Parmesan.
- Spread the savory semolina pudding on a baking tray lined with baking paper to the thickness of a finger and smooth out with a wet knife. Leave to cool.
- In the meantime, grease a large oven dish with butter and preheat the oven to 200°C.
- When the semolina porridge has cooled, cut out round pieces from the mixture using a glass or a round cookie cutter (diameter approx. 5 cm). Layer these in a baking dish, overlapping like bricks.
- Sprinkle the gnocchi with the remaining grated cheese. Melt the remaining butter and pour over the gnocchi. Then place the gnocchi in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Gnocchi alla romana – typical dish of Roman cuisine
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