Gnocchi alla Bava Recipe - Great Italian Chefs

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until soft

Step 2

When the potatoes are cooked, halve them and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. You need to work whilst the potatoes are still hot, so you may want to use a cloth or rubber gloves

Step 3

Pass the potato flesh through a potato ricer. Stir in the flours, egg yolks and salt, mix thoroughly but taking care not to overwork the gluten so you get soft pillowy gnocchi

Step 4

Divide the dough into 4 and roll each piece out on a floured surface into sausages about 2cm thick. Slice into pieces roughly 2.5cm long

Step 5

Delicately roll the pillows over a gnocchi board to create ridges. This creates a surface the sauce can adhere to

Step 6

To make the sauce, heat a pan over a medium heat and fry the shallot in a splash of olive oil until soft but not coloured. Add the cream and reduce by one third

Step 7

Add the grated cheeses and stir until melted. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper

Step 8

To cook the gnocchi, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add the dumplings. Cook until they float to the top, which should take 3–4 minutes

Step 9

Drain the gnocchi and stir into the sauce. Serve immediately