GNOCCHI
Two ingredients: flour and potatoes, when mixed the right way create little soft dumplings that look like clouds or pillows. Gnocchi goes well with almost any kind of sauce and lifts your spirit while filling your belly.
WHY OUR GNOCCHI ARE NEVER "THE SAME"
Consistency is often synonymous with quality, but this adage is not always true. Batch by batch our gnocchi are always a little different because they are made with real potatoes.
As simple as a recipe with two ingredients can be, gnocchi can be a real challenge
(those who participate in our gnocchi class experienced it!).
Our goal is to serve a gnocco that is soft but does not stick to the palate, so it's important to use just enough flour (qt = quanto basta). That's the tricky part. Differences with potatoes and in temperature and humidity during the crafting process affect the dough's texture and elasticity and consequently the amount of flour every batch needs. Though final differences may be minimal, they can still be noticeable by a real gnocchi connoisseur.
WHY WE FREEZE OUR GNOCCHI
Our gnocchi are placed in a blast chiller a few minutes after they are made. We use this method of conservation for many reasons:
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to preserve the freshness and color of the potatoes.
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to preserve the texture. Our gnocchi dough is very soft and tends to become softer and stickier if they are left unfrozen.
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frozen gnocchi can be portioned more easily.
OUR GNOCCHI MACHINE
When we opened Pasta Sisters in 2015, we made our gnocchi by hand. As business started to grow, we understood our handmade method wasn't sustainable, so we started to scout for a gnocchi machine. Our search was immediately interrupted by a major issue: we couldn't find a gnocchi machine that would work with real potatoes. Experts told us that the only way to go was to use potato flakes, but that idea horrified us. A hard, gummy kind of gnocchi? Our grandmother would never forgive us! We did not give up, and we flew to Italy. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Italian machines were also designed to use potato flakes. Everytime we specified our recipes used real potatoes, the sales people would back out. On the very last day of our trip, we received a call from a friend "I know a person who has a machine that could work, she owns a fresh pasta shop in town and she is closing her business!" So we went to meet the owner and test this machine out.
Miraculously, it worked! Our super soft dough, made with real potatoes, passed through the machine and beautiful gnocchi started coming out. Long story short, this gorgeous machine is now in LA, and gnocchi is one of our best sellers!
