Four-cheese gnocchi

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PRESENTATION

Is there a creamier, more enjoyable and finger-licking dish than four-cheese gnocchi? We only have to find out by preparing this hearty first course, starting of course with the dough for the homemade potato gnocchi pasta. Do you remember all the secrets to getting the right consistency? Neither too hard nor too soft... and once ready, instead of the classic sauce or special ones we suggest elsewhere, we invite you to dip them in a velvety cream for real cheese lovers: Casera, Emmentaler, sweet Gorgonzola and Fontina cheeses. Four cheeses, also available in regional versions, with the best cheeses from your area... try for example the taleggio cheese version of speck and walnut gnocchi! Are you already dreaming of the velvety taste of these four-cheese gnocchi? A real gourmet treat to indulge in whenever you like, not just on Thursdays! Do not forget to accompany them with a good wine, in this version they will be perfect with a medium-bodied and elegantly structured Veneto red wine!

Check out also these gnocchi variants:

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the gnocchi
Potatoes 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
Type 00 flour 2 ½ cups (300 g)
Eggs 1
Fine salt 1 pinch
For cheese sauce
Gorgonzola cheese 5.3 oz (150 g) - sweet
Valtellina Casera cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
Fontina cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
Emmentaler cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
Heavy cream 1 cup (250 g)
Black pepper to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Four-cheese gnocchi

To prepare the four-cheese gnocchi start by cooking the potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water 1. As soon as the water boils continue for another 30-40 minutes, depending on their size. Test them with a fork and if the tines reach the middle without difficulty, your spuds are ready to be drained. Peel them while they are still hot and immediately mash them on the flour piled on the work surface 2. Next, add the lightly beaten egg together with a pinch of salt 3

and knead everything with your hands 4 just until the dough is soft but firm 5. Try to handle the dough as little as possible otherwise the gnocchi will become hard while cooking. Take part of the dough and roll it out with your fingertips in a cylindrical shape, about 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick 6; to make it easier, sprinkle the pastry board from time to time with semolina flour.

In the meantime, cover the remaining dough with a cloth to prevent it from drying out. Cut the rolls into small pieces 7 and with the light pressure of your thumb drag them over a gnocchi board to obtain the classic shape 8. If you don't have a gnocchi board, yuo can use a fork and drag them over the tines; here, too, use semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking. As you prepare the gnocchi, place them on a tray with a lightly floured cloth, well spaced apart. Cut the Gorgonzola cheese into small pieces 9.

Do the same with the Casera, Fontina and Emmentaler cheese 10. Heat the cream in a saucepan, then pour all the cheeses in chunks (11-12) and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent lumps from forming and to help the cheese melt.

Once the 4-cheese sauce is ready 13, you can boil the gnocchi in plenty of water; cook them for 2-5 minutes and as soon as they rise to the surface, drain them with a skimmer and pour them into the pan with the 4-cheese sauce 14. Mix very gently so as not to break them, season with black pepper to taste and serve immediately your four-cheese gnocchi 15.

Storage

Four-cheese gnocchi should be enjoyed immediately. Although it is difficult to imagine, if there are any left over, you can gratin them, maybe adding bacon, speck or ham!

You can store the cheese cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Freezing is not recommended.

Tips

A handful of chopped walnuts will give this dish a very pleasant crunchy note!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.