Saffron recipes and use of spice
Saffron potato gnocchi
Apr
I have a confession to make: I can’t make potato gnocchi!
I know the theory, I have read dozens of different recipes and tricks to get the perfect consistency, but every time I find myself with a too sticky dough and the fear that it will melt in cooking … Luckily it never happened, but the result does not me never satisfies therefore, even if everyone likes them at home, I generally avoid preparing them.
On Sunday, however, we decided to prepare them all together, partly to exorcise my fear of this type of preparation, and partly because we had thought of trying to flavor the dough with saffron.
The dough did not come out exactly as I hoped – I still need to improve the consistency – but the final result was very satisfying! We chose to serve them with two different classic sauces: traditional meat sauce for the children and a creamy gorgonzola sauce for the adults. The taste of the saffron in the dough can be felt but is not too strong, so you can combine them with any type of sauce.
Let me know what you think – and if you have any foolproof tricks to teach me!
SAFFRON POTATO GNOCCHI
INGREDIENTS: (serves 4)
1 kg potatoes
about 300 g flour
Half a teaspoon of saffron threads
Salt to taste
For the gorgonzola sauce
200 g gorgonzola cheese
70 ml cooking cream
Black pepper to taste
Meat sauce to taste
METHOD:
Wash the potatoes, put them in a large pot, cover them with cold water and once the water starts boiling, let them cook for about 30 minutes or until tender.
In a mortar, pound the saffron until it is powdered. If you do not have a mortar, you can put the saffron in a sheet of baking paper and reduce it to powder by pounding it with a meat mallet.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain, and let them cool for a few minutes, then peel them. Mash them with a potato masher directly on the pastry board, then add the saffron powder and a pinch of salt. Add the flour little by little and work quickly with your hands until you form a nice compact dough, which you will give the shape of a ball.
Take once piece of dough at a time, roll them with your hands to form cords. Cut the cords into pieces, then pass them on the back of a fork or a grater to give them the characteristic gnocchi shape. Remember to flour well both your hands and the tool you will use to form the gnocchi.
Arrange the gnocchi on floured trays.
Pour some water in a big pot, bring to a boil, add salt and add the gnocchi. Let them cook until they float to the surface, then drain them with a slotted spoon and pour them into the pan with the sauce.
We chose to serve these saffron potato gnocchi with two different sauces: a traditional meat sauce (ragù alla Bolognese) and a gorgonzola sauce.
For the gorgonzola sauce, put the chopped gorgonzola in a saucepan, sprinkle with freshly grated black pepper and let it melt over low heat, finally add the cooking cream and mix well. If you want to give this cheese sauce a crunchy touch, you can add some coarsely chopped walnut kernels.
Let me know if you have any comment or suggestion, and remember to follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
Born in Romagna, now living in Piacenza. I am the owner and co-founder with my husband of Zafferano Emiliano. Follow our site to get the latest news about our Saffron cultivation – and some recipes as well!
