Gnocchi di polenta - Polenta Gnocchi

Nothing is wasted in the 'cucina povera' and the leftovers are often transformed into a new dish.

Last summer, in a tiny restaurant up in the Alps, I tasted delicious gnocchi made out of polenta leftovers. The chef gave me some useful hints, but I had to sort the recipe out. 

To make it easy, I prepare my polenta with the pre-cooked maize flour, which takes only few minutes to be ready. The 'real' polenta would take 40 minutes.

I leave it to cool before stirring in eggs, flour and cheese.

Once I got the right consistency, I start making my gnocchi, in a true 'mani in pasta' setting.

As for the sauce, I decide to simply dress my gnocchi with melted butter and sage. Any tomato sauce would have worked as well. Polenta is a versatile dish.

Gnocchi di polenta
Polenta Gnocchi 

For the gnocchi
200 g polenta flour
500 ml water
200 ml milk
50 g butter
150 g plain white flour, plus to dust
2 yolks
100 g freshly grated Parmesan
Sea salt and black pepper
For the sauce
50 g butter
5-6 medium sage leaves
Parmesan to serve

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

1. In a pan, heat the water and the milk with a good pinch of salt and bring it to the boil. 

2. Stir in the butter. 

3. Lower the heat to a simmer and slowly add the polenta flour, stirring with a whisk until completely blended. The polenta will thicken quickly and bubble. 

4. Reduce the heat as low as possible and cook as directed, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon. 

5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

6. Transfer the polenta into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yolks, the flour and the Parmesan. Using your hands, form a smooth and soft dough. Check the seasoning. 

7. Cut a small piece of the dough and roll it into a long sausage shape, the thickness of your thumb. Cut it into pieces of 1 cm in width. Do the same for all the dough. To keep your gnocchi dry, arrange them on a tea towel sprinkled with flour.

8. Cook batches of the gnocchi in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, or until they rise to the surface.

9. Once cooked, remove your gnocchi with a slotted spoon to a warm dish.

10. Dress with melted butter and sage.

11. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve at once.