Gnocchi di pane - Bread Gnocchi

Bread should never be thrown away. Stale bread can quickly be recycled as breadcrumbs and crostini, or could become an inspirational ingredient for many dishes, such as soups, gnocchi and cakes. 

I always dice my stale bread, so it will be easy to ground, sauté or soak it.

Here I soak the stale bread in milk, then I add one onion, finely chopped and gently sautéed in oil, along with flour, one egg, Emmental and Parmesan cheeses, parsley and nutmeg. I live the mixture in the fridge for a while, giving the ingredients the time to combine.

For me, the best bit  of making gnocchi is to mould them with my hands. It gives me the great feeling of transforming plain ingredients into a delicious dish.

Gnocchi di pane – Bread Dumplings

200 g white stale bread
220 ml milk
1 egg
1 knob of butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
30 g white flour
40 g freshly grated Emmental cheese
30 g freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
A handful of flat-leave parsley, chopped
Nutmeg
Sea salt and black pepper
50 g butter
A tablespoon of fresh chives, finely chopped
Serves 4
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes

1. Dice the bread, crust included, and place it in a large bowl.

2. Beat the egg in the milk and add to the bread. Leave to soak for 10 minutes, mixing and kneading with your hands.

3. In a large frying pan, heat the butter and soften the onion with a pinch of salt on very low heat for 20 minutes, until translucent.

4. Add the onion, the flour, the parsley, the cheeses and the nutmeg to the bread mixture, mixing through with your hands until all the ingredients are well combined. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

5. With your floured hands make dumplings, the size of a nut, and arrange them on a floured chopping board.

6. In a large pan bring 2 L of water to the boil; add a good tablespoon of coarse sea salt and leave to simmer.

7. Gently add the gnocchi and cook for 5 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, in a small pan, melt the butter until golden brown.

9. Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place them in a preheated serving dish.

10. Dress with the butter, sprinkle with chives and gently toss to coat.

11. Serve hot, with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top.