Gnocchi alla Romana
This Roman dish is wonderfully simple and versatile, a great addition to an Italian dinner party or a relaxed Sunday lunch.
Servings: 4
Calories: 403kcal
Equipment
- 4cm round biscuit cutter
- 26x20cm roasting tin
Ingredients
- 650 ml milk
- Pinch of nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt + extra to taste
- freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 100 g semolina plus extra to dust.
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 50 g finely grated parmesan + extra to top
- 60 g unsalted butter melted + extra to grease
- olive oil to grease
- fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Generously grease a 26x20cm roasting tin with olive oil and set aside.
- Place the milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat and gradually add the semolina, stirring constantly.
- Continue cooking over a low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered and stirring often until the mixture is very thick.
- In a small bowl, combine the egg and the parmesan before adding to the semolina mixture. Mix well.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth with a wet spatula. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until the semolina is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ gas/180℃ fan and grease a 26x20cm shallow ovenproof dish with the extra butter. Scatter some semolina onto a clean work surface and release the semolina mixture on top. Using a 4cm round cutter cut the semolina and arrange in layers inside the prepared oven dish (see notes).
- Pour over the melted butter and grate over some extra parmesan. Season with some salt and pepper on top.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until crisp and golden. You might want to turn it halfway through to achieve an even crust.
- Serve warm as an accompaniment to an Italian dinner party or a relaxed Sunday lunch.
Notes
- You could substitute the parmesan for a nice vintage cheddar, gruyere, or any other hard, sharp tasting cheese.
- You’ll definitely have some leftover scraps of gnocchi - place them in another greased tray or next to the uniform ones if you aren’t so fussy about presentation!
- If you don't have a cutter to hand, you can just use the rim of a glass.