Gnocchi with Brown Butter or Gorgonzola Sauce

I did not grow up making gnocchi or the sauces that have become my favorite accompaniment to these small, light, and airy potato dumplings that you can read about in this blog post. But one of the Italian-American families that I know well, from the Abruzzo region in central Italy, make them regularly, and I fell in love with them.

Here in America, the family that I know makes gnocchi for Sunday afternoon dinner and holidays. All the children gather around the kitchen table and, joking and laughing, turn the otherwise tedious task of cutting and forming the dough into dumplings into a fun family event. This particular family always serves gnocchi with their favorite tomato sauce. But in Italy, gnocchi are served with a variety of sauces, so I thought it would be fun to write about these more “unusual” sauces for families here in America.

The recipe for gnocchi and the method for making brown butter and Gorgonzola sauces was originally posted on June 21, 2016, on the Learn Italian! blog for Stella Lucente, LLC, and www.learntravelitalian.com. Below is an excerpt. Click on the link for the recipe!

I’d love to hear if your family makes gnocchi and about your favorite sauce to serve them with!

Gnocchi (pronounced (NYAAW – KEY) are Italian potato dumplings, and if made properly, they are said to be like little pillows: delicate and soft, and a delight to eat! Gnocchi are popular in northern Italy and as far south as the Abruzzo region.

The dough is prepared with just a few ingredients—potatoes, a bit of flour, and sometimes an egg. The dough is then kneaded gently, rolled out, and cut into bite-size pieces. At the end of the process, ridges are created by rolling each “gnocco” along a fork or specially carved small wooden board. These ridges are perfect for capturing the delicious butter sauce, Gorgonzola sauce, pesto, or tomato sauce they can be served with. To see the method to make gnocchi in detail, visit our Stella Lucente Italian Pinterest site.