Pellegrino Artusi only included a few Roman dishes in his classic, La Scienza in Cucina,; modern Romans say he doctored what he did include, and some go as far as to imply that he developed this recipe for Gnocchi alla Romana. It is quite good, so good he begins with:
I hope you will like these as much as my guests have. If you do, toast me if I'm alive, or say a Rest in Peace if I've gone to push up cabbages.
I hope you will like these as much as my guests have. If you do, toast me if I'm alive, or say a Rest in Peace if I've gone to push up cabbages.
Prep Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups (150 g) flour
- 1/2 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup grated Groviera or Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
- 2 brimming cups (1/2 liter) whole milk
- 2 eggs
Preparation:
They say the number of people at table should never be fewer than the Graces (3), nor more than the Muses (9). If your party's nearer the number of the Muses, double the recipe.Mix the flour with the eggs in a pot and slowly add the milk. Add the Swiss cheese and heat, stirring constantly, until the flour cooks and the mixture becomes firm. Salt it and add half the butter. Let it cool, cut it into thin slices as you would polenta, and layer them in an ovenproof dish. Put bits of butter and grated Parmesan cheese between the layers, but only butter the top, because heat makes cheese bitter. Brown the gnocchi in the oven and serve them hot. A wine? White, for example Orvieto Bianco, or Est! Est! Est!
You'll note that Artusi doesn't call for semolina. You can use his recipe as is, or substitute semolina for flour -- many people do.
