Instant Gnocchi for Michaelmas

On Michaelmas, or the feast of St. Michael, which is celebrated on September 29, many Italians serve Gnocchi, or potato dumplings.

The following recipe was submitted by a Catholic Cuisine reader, Fred Hass:

The following recipe for Instant Gnocchi is terrific. It was formulated by a dear friend, Florence Machetta. It takes all the work out of making gnocchi!

The history of gnocchi is very interesting and may be traced to the time of the Roman legions. The word "gnocco" in Italian means a stupid person. How the word gnocchi derived is not clear. Various regions in Italy have their own distinctive variations one of which from Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol is spinach gnocchi, called strangolapreti. This translates to "choke the priest." The use of potato is a relatively recent innovation, occurring after the introduction of the potato to Europe in the 16th century.

Hope you like this recipe.

Instant Gnocchi

from Florence Machetta, “my own formula”

Ingredients:

Potato flakes 2C
Flour ½ C
Powdered milk ¼ C
Salt 1 t
Garlic powder ½ t
Egg 1
Water 10 oz
(Can use 10 oz milk instead of dry)

Instructions:

Put dry ingredients in bowl.
Beat egg in water.
Add wet to dry and mix well and knead on floured board until dough is elastic. Form one inch ropes of dough and cut into 2 inch pieces.
Roll each piece over a grater or end of dinner fork to form the gnocchi. Bring pot of water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Reduce heat and simmer until gnocchi float to top then remove with slotted spoon.
Serve with sauce of your choice.

Mangia bene!