gnocchi à la parisienne

Making Parisienne gnocchi was a first for me. Instead of potatoes, the dough starts with pâte à choux (choux pastry). And let me tell you the flavour profile is off-the-charts délicieux!  Years ago, I made profiteroles using choux pastry, but I never imagined the dough could work so beautifully in a savoury dish. That discovery alone made this recipe feel like a small revelation.

Dating back to Roman times, gnocchi has travelled through history and across cultures. In Argentina, they’re known as ñoquis. Poland offers its own version, kopytka, while in Japan, nyuimen swaps potatoes for flour.

As for the origins of the potato dumpling, food historians still disagree. Italy and Poland both point to centuries-old recipes and deeply rooted traditions. The debate may never be settled, so I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide.  🙂

you will need

1 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
zest of one lemon

method

Bring the butter and water to a gentle boil. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat and add flour. Grab a wooden spoon and mix vigorously for at least a minute to form a soft ball.  Place pot back on the heat and beat hard again for 30 seconds. Scoop the dough from the pot and place it in a stand mixer with a paddle.  On medium speed, add parmesan and mustard.  Once combined, add eggs one at a time until well mixed.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Mix in parsley and lemon zest.  Transfer to a piping bag or ziplock bag with one corner snipped.  Allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Fill a pot with salted water and bring to a boil.  Grab the piping bag or ziplock bag (I used the former) and squeeze the bag over the water.  Cut off about one inch of the dough.  Let the chunks of dough float to the surface and cook another 2 minutes before transferring to a tray with olive oil or into a pan of melted butter infused with sage leaves.  Cook the gnocchi until golden brown.  Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

the culinary chase’s note:

For another serving idea, add the gnocchi to your favourite tomato sauce and top with cheese.  Enjoy!