Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [126]
For 6 servings
1 quart milk
1 cup semolina, coarsely ground yellow hard-wheat flour
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten in a saucer
2 tablespoons butter
An oven-to-table baking dish and butter to smear it
¼ pound prosciutto OR bacon OR boiled ham, cut into small strips
1. Put the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and turn on the heat to medium low. If possible slip a flame-tamer under the pot. When the milk forms a ring of tiny, pearly bubbles, but before it comes to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and add the semolina flour, pouring it out of a clenched fist in a very thin, slow stream and, with a whisk in your other hand, beating it into the milk.
2. When all the semolina has gone into the pot, stir it with a long-handled wooden spoon. Stir continuously and with thoroughness, bringing the mixture up from the bottom and loosening it from the sides of the pot. Be prepared for some resistance because the flour and milk mixture quickly becomes very dense. In little more than 15 minutes and less than 20, the mixture forms a mass that comes cleanly away from the sides of the pot.
3. Remove from heat, let it cool just slightly, for about a minute, then add two-thirds of the grated Parmesan, 2 teaspoons of salt, the egg yolks, and the 2 tablespoons of butter to the batter. Mix immediately and rapidly to avoid having the egg yolks set.
4. Moisten a laminated or marble surface with cold water, and turn the gnocchi batter out over it, using a spatula to spread it to an even thickness of about ⅜ inch. Dip the spatula in cold water from time to time as you use it. Let the batter cool completely.
5. Preheat oven to 400°.
6. When the batter has cooled off completely, cut it into disks, using a 1½-inch biscuit cutter or a glass of approximately the same diameter. Moisten the tool from time to time in cold water as you use it. (Do not discard the trimmings, see the note below.)
7. Smear the bottom of a bake-and-serve dish lightly with butter. On the bottom, arrange the gnocchi in a single layer, overlapping them roof-tile fashion. On top spread the prosciutto or bacon or ham strips, sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmesan, and dot sparingly with butter. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until a light, golden crust has formed and the prosciutto or bacon or ham has become crisp. After removing from the oven, allow to settle for 5 minutes before bringing to the table and serving directly from the baking dish. If you find that the underside of the gnocchi has fused together, it is perfectly all right, as long as the top side maintains its shape.
Ahead-of-time note Semolina gnocchi can be completely prepared and assembled in their baking dish up to 2 days in advance. Cover tightly with plastic wrap before refrigerating. Keep the trimmings, too, in the refrigerator, in a tightly sealed container.
Making Fritters from the Trimmings
Knead the trimmings together briefly into a ball up to a day or two before you plan to use them. When you are ready to make the fritters, divide the ball into croquette-size pieces, adding a pinch of salt and shaping them into short, plump forms tapered at both ends, about 2½ inches in length. Roll them in dry, unflavored bread crumbs and fry them in hot vegetable oil until they form a light crust all over. Serve as you would croquettes, or French fried potatoes, as though it were an accompanying vegetable, without any sauce.
CRESPELLE
WHAT ITALIANS CALL crespelle are very thin pancakes made from a batter of milk, flour, and eggs sautéed in butter. Italians work with them as if they were pasta wrappers, stuffing them with savory meat, cheese, or vegetable fillings. A basic recipe for making crespelle is given below, but any method you are comfortable with that produces thin, plain, unsweetened crêpes is satisfactory.
Crespelle
16 to 18 crespelle
THE BATTER
1 cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
⅛ teaspoon salt
FOR COOKING THE CRESPELLE