Thursday gnocchi, reads the beginning of a famous Roman saying … ("Thursday gnocchi, Friday fish and Saturday tripe). But we, the gnocchi, do not scorn them not even all the other days, they are so good and versatile. They can be seasoned with ragù, but also with simple tomato sauce, with butter and sage or with the four cheeses. You can also add other ingredients to the dough, such as the pumpkin, spinaches or the beetroot, to get a surprising color.

Making them at home seems simple, but the risk is to get gummy or hard-to-taste dumplings: you need to know how to accurately dose the ingredients and have good dexterity. So how can we avoid chewable dumplings? Here are some practical tips.

10 recipes to prepare unusual dumplings

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First of all, let's start with the main ingredient: the potato. The perfect one it is not new, but a little ahead in conservation, as the former being richer in water, risks holding more flour. The best is the one a white pasta, ideal for being crushed given its floury consistency (on the market, look for the Majestic, Tonda di Napoli or Bianca di Como Majestic, Kennebec, Imola, Liseta, Timate, Adora) varieties.

Attention to doses

For the dough it is necessary to flour 00. The dose? It depends on the potato used. In any case, for every kg of potatoes, it varies from 250 to 300 grams of flour, but never exceed this indication, just to prevent the dumplings from getting too hard.

Do not add flour

If the dough is too soft and floury, do not add flour, just to prevent it from becoming a cement block. Transfer it back to the shelf e knead, with patience, until it dries a little.

Cook them a little at a time

The gnocchi are not made to be kept in the fridge, otherwise they lose their consistency: to eat soft and tasty gnocchi, we recommend cook them immediately, just made. Otherwise freeze them, waiting a few hours for them to harden: then, portion them in food bags, to defrost just before throwing them in boiling water to boil them.