Roman semolina dumplings — discs of cooked semolina layered with butter and Parmesan, baked until golden.
Gnocchi alla Romana is the Roman cousin of the more familiar potato gnocchi — and quite a different dish. Coarse semolina is cooked with milk, egg yolks, and Parmesan into a stiff polenta, spread flat to set, then stamped into discs and overlapped in a baking dish like fish scales. Bathed in melted butter, blanketed in more Parmesan, and baked until the tops are tile-gold and crisp, they emerge as a luxurious, slightly chewy gratin — silky in the middle, crackly on top. Romans eat them on Thursdays (giovedì gnocchi), historically a fast day on which a hearty meatless dish made sense.
Serves 4
In a wide heavy saucepan, warm the milk with salt and nutmeg until just steaming.
Slowly drizzle in semolina while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and cook, switching to a wooden spoon and stirring vigorously, for 8–10 minutes until very thick and pulling away from the sides of the pot.
Off the heat, beat in 50 g butter and 70 g of the Parmesan. When cool enough not to scramble (about 5 minutes), beat in egg yolks one by one.
Spread the mixture out on a wet baking tray or oiled marble surface to a 1 cm thick slab. Smooth with a wet spatula. Cool, then refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm.
Stamp out 5 cm rounds with a glass or cookie cutter. Save the trimmings, which can be re-pressed and re-stamped.
Generously butter a gratin dish. Overlap the discs like fish scales, breaking the trimmings into gaps.
Melt the remaining 50 g butter and pour evenly over the top. Scatter generously with the remaining Parmesan and a few extra gratings.
Bake at 220°C for 22–28 minutes until the tops are deeply golden and crisp and the edges are bubbling.
Rest 5 minutes. Serve straight from the dish; the contrast between the crackling top and the molten under-layer is the point.
Use coarse semolina (semola), not fine semolina flour — the texture depends on it.
Wet your spatula constantly when smoothing the slab; the dough sticks to dry surfaces.
Brush the discs with extra melted butter before baking for the crispiest, most golden tops.
Add a layer of cooked spinach or chopped prosciutto between the discs for a sturdier main.
Substitute half the Parmesan with aged pecorino romano for a sharper Roman edge.
Sprinkle the top with thyme leaves and a little lemon zest for a brighter finish.
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Re-crisp in a hot oven (200°C, 8 minutes); microwaving turns them rubbery.
Roman semolina gnocchi are documented from at least the 18th century and remained a meatless dish for traditional Friday and feast-day fasts in Catholic Rome. They are still served weekly in classic Roman trattorie like Da Felice and Armando al Pantheon.
Yes — stamp and layer up to a day ahead, refrigerate covered, and bake straight from the fridge with 5 extra minutes.
Potato gnocchi are little boiled dumplings of mashed potato and flour. Roman gnocchi are baked discs of semolina pudding. Different family entirely.
Per serving (320g) · 4 servings total
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