Gnocchi alla Romana

About This Recipe

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.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 Lwhole milk
• 250 gcoarse semolina (semola di grano duro)
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1 good gratingfresh nutmeg
• 100 gunsalted butter, plus extra
• 120 gParmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus more for top
• 3 largeegg yolks

Instructions

1. 1

   Bring milk to simmer

   In a wide heavy saucepan, warm the milk with salt and nutmeg until just steaming.

2. 2

   Rain in semolina

   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.

3. 3

   Enrich

   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.

4. 4

   Spread and chill

   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.

5. 5

   Stamp discs

   Stamp out 5 cm rounds with a glass or cookie cutter. Save the trimmings, which can be re-pressed and re-stamped.

6. 6

   Layer in dish

   Generously butter a gratin dish. Overlap the discs like fish scales, breaking the trimmings into gaps.

7. 7

   Top

   Melt the remaining 50 g butter and pour evenly over the top. Scatter generously with the remaining Parmesan and a few extra gratings.

8. 8

   Bake

   Bake at 220°C for 22–28 minutes until the tops are deeply golden and crisp and the edges are bubbling.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Rest 5 minutes. Serve straight from the dish; the contrast between the crackling top and the molten under-layer is the point.

Variations

• •

  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.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Re-crisp in a hot oven (200°C, 8 minutes); microwaving turns them rubbery.

Frequently Asked Questions