Gnocchi alla romana

Ingredients

Semolina

• 1 litrewhole milk
• 250 gfine semolina
• 100 gbutter
• 100 gParmesan, grated
• 2egg yolks
• grated nutmeg
• salt

To finish

• 50 gbutter
• 50 gParmesan, grated

Directions

1. Bring the milk to the boil with a good pinch of salt, a grating of nutmeg and 30 g of the butter.
2. Rain the semolina in in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
3. Rain it rather than tipping it. Semolina dropped in as a mass seizes into lumps within seconds, and no amount of whisking recovers it.
4. Cook over a low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it is very stiff and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
5. Take it off the heat, let the steam die down, then beat in the remaining butter, the Parmesan and the egg yolks one at a time.
6. The yolks go in only once the pan has stopped steaming hard, or they scramble into threads through the mixture.
7. Tip it onto a wetted work surface or a sheet of baking paper.
8. Spread it to an even 1 cm thick with a wet palette knife or wet hands.
9. Get the thickness even and get it right. Thicker and the discs stay pasty in the middle; thinner and they dry out and curl in the oven.
10. Leave it to cool and set completely, at least an hour.
11. Cut discs with a 5 cm cutter, dipping it in cold water between cuts.
12. Butter a baking dish and lay the discs overlapping like roof tiles.
13. Overlap them. The exposed upper edge of each disc is what browns and crisps, and a single flat layer gives you far less of it.
14. Dot with the remaining butter and cover with the remaining Parmesan.
15. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 20 minutes, then put it briefly under the grill until blistered and golden.
16. Rest for 5 minutes and serve straight from the dish.
17. Roman families traditionally ate gnocchi on Thursdays, which is why the trattorie still put them on the Thursday menu.

Technique

• Despite the name there is no potato and no dumpling rolling. It is semolina, cut into discs.
• Fine semolina, sold in Italy as semolino. Coarse semolina stays gritty.
• It can be made a day ahead up to the cutting stage and kept covered in the fridge.
• The offcuts left from cutting the discs are pressed together and cut again, or baked at the back of the dish for the cook.

Substitutions

• Pecorino romano in place of half the Parmesan for a sharper, saltier dish.
• Whole egg instead of two yolks, which sets a little firmer.

Variations

• With a spoonful of ragù between the layers.
• With gruyère on top for a browner crust.
• The Neapolitan version, made with mozzarella.

History

Semolina discs baked with butter and cheese rather than potato dumplings; Roman families traditionally ate gnocchi on Thursdays.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gnocchi alla romana?

Gnocchi alla romana is a main from Vatican City: baked semolina rounds with butter and Parmesan. Semolina discs baked with butter and cheese rather than potato dumplings; Roman families traditionally ate gnocchi on Thursdays.

How long does Gnocchi alla romana take to make?

Gnocchi alla romana takes 25 min plus 1 hr setting of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Gnocchi alla romana?

Yes, within limits. Pecorino romano in place of half the Parmesan for a sharper, saltier dish. Whole egg instead of two yolks, which sets a little firmer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Gnocchi alla romana?

Rain it rather than tipping it. Semolina dropped in as a mass seizes into lumps within seconds, and no amount of whisking recovers it.