Mini gnocchi with truffles
These gnocchi are tiny, often called 'chicche' pronounced kikiye (meaning 'goodies'). They cook quickly, without too much stodge and you can enjoy plenty of sauce around each one. Use as much truffle you can afford. Failing that, add droplets of genuine truffle oil and salt.
Course: Main Course, Starters
Cuisine: Italian, Tuscan
Keyword: Gnocchi, Italian food, Pasta, Truffle dishes, Tuscan food
Servings: 4
For the chicche:
- 1 kg potatoes, baked and scooped out of their skins while still warm
- 300g plain flour or 00 flour
- 150 g parmesan or pecorino, finely grated
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 100 g fine semolina to roll them in
For the sauce:
- 150 g butter
- Shavings truffle
- salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200g and bake the potatoes in their skins for 45 minutes to an hour. When you prick them and they are soft inside, remove from the oven.
Scoop out the insides (you can use the potato skins for another recipe, filling them with cheese or beans) with a fork and mix with the flour, cheese, egg and salt.
Form a long sausage with the dough, 1 cm wide, and cut into small sections 1 cm long. Place the chicche onto a tray spread with fine semolina so that they don't stick to one another.
When you are ready to cook them, boil plenty of salted water in a medium pan and cook the chicche for a couple of minutes or until they float.
Drain or lift out with a slotted spoon, mix with butter.
Add truffle shavings, salt and pepper to taste.