I adore gnocchi! Gnocchi with pesto has been my favourite pasta dish since I was a kid. In Italy there are numerous variations of this wonderful pasta, some of which are really colourful and tasty. Today we are going to prepare a gluten-free version made with buckwheat flour. This flour might be a little expensive, but I decided to use it because of the benefits that introducing gluten-free meals in our every-day diet have. Even though I don’t have intolerances or allergies, but also because I think it’s delicious. Of course, it is also a good alternative to traditional gnocchi for celiac people.
A few words about Buckwheat.
Buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed and rhubarb. The seeds are fruit seeds, not cereals, very similar to sunflower seeds, and with a distinctive triangular shape. They are rich in protein, important minerals ( iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and potassium.) and vitamins B. Buckwheat is normally used in flour or grains. The flour is very tasty and perfect for pasta recipes, in fact, in Italy it is widely used in many traditional dishes.
Ingredients
Preparation: 25 minutes
Potatoes Cooking time: 15-20 minutes + time to cool
Gnocchi Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4-5
1 kg (35.2 oz) large potatoes
200 g (7.05 oz) buckwheat flour (and a little bit more for dusting)
50 g (1.76 oz) potato starch
salt to taste
Tools
wooden board or table
A large pan (with a steaming basket or you can use a steamer if you prefer this cooking method)
a large sieve (to sift the flour)
potato ricer (or a potato masher)
a knife
a fork (or a gnocchi board)
Method
1.Wash, then steam or boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes (if you boil, put them in cold salted water and then, bring to the boil). Mash the potatoes and let cool. Once they have cooled down, add the flour and starch (previously sifted and mixed).
2. Combine all the ingredients, add some salt and work until you get a soft and smooth dough (adding some flour, if necessary).
3. Dust the board, then divide the dough into 4-5 equal pieces and roll each piece into long ropes (the ropes should be 1,5 cm [0.39 uk inches] high). Cut each rope into small pieces (3 cm [ 1.18 uk inches] long and 1,5 cm [ 0.39 uk inches] high).
4. Use a fork to indent the gnocchi by pressing the centre and roll each piece on the fork (watch the video below) , in this way the gnocchi will absorb the condiment better.
Watch the video:
Tips.
Boil in plenty of salted water for a few minutes. Once they rise, gently drain and season as you prefer (serve these wonderful gnocchi with pesto or with a nice tomato sauce. If you don’t follow a vegan or a low-cal diet I suggest you try them with a gorgonzola sauce).
Gnocchi di patate e grano saraceno.
Preparazione: 25 minuti
Cottura delle patate: 15-20 minuti + il tempo di farle un po’ raffreddare
Cottura degli gnocchi: 5 minuti
Ingredienti
per 4-5 persone
1 kg di patate farinose
200 g di farina di grano saraceno ( e un po’ di più per infarinare)
50 g di fecola di patate
sale q.b.
Utensili
una spianatoia di legno abbastanza grande
Una pentola grande (con cestello per cottura a vapore oppure una vaporiera, se preferite questo tipo di cottura)
un setaccio o un colino grande (per setacciare la farina)
uno schiaccia patate
un coltello
una forchetta
Preparazione
1. Lavate bene le patate e fate cuocere a vapore per 15-20 minuti (o lessatele mettendole in acqua fredda salata e portando a bollore). Schiacciate le patate e lasciate raffreddare. Aggiungete la farina e la fecola (setacciate e mescolate in precedenza).
2. Amalgamate gli ingredienti con un po’ di sale, fino ad ottenere un impasto morbido ed uniforme. Nel caso fosse necessario, aggiungete un po’ di farina.
3. Infarinate la superficie della spianatoia, dividete l’impasto in 4-5 pezzi uguali e rotolate ogni pezzo fino a formare dei filoncini molto lunghi e alti 1,5 cm. Tagliate ogni cilindro di pasta in piccoli gnocchi (lunghi 3 cm e alti 1,5 cm circa).
4. Usate una forchetta per rigare gli gnocchi (guarda il video).
5. Appoggiate gli gnocchi distanti tra loro su un tavolo coperto da strofinacci puliti, leggermente infarinati (nelle foto uso un piatto perché ho preparato una porzione sola).
Note.
Per la cottura consiglio di far bollire in acqua abbondante e salata per qualche minuto. Poi scolate e condite come preferite. Un ottimo condimento per gli gnocchi di grano saraceno potrebbe essere una salsa al gorgonzola, oppure condite semplicemente con del buon pesto o una salsa al pomodoro, se seguite una dieta vegana o a basso contenuto calorico.
Foodfulife 
What beautiful pictures! I’ve never made Gnocchi, but I have been considering trying my hand at it. Your post makes it look so easy! 🙂 Thank you.
🙂 Thank you so much!!! Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it! Sometimes you never know how difficult or easy things can look like :-)))
Gnocchi are not so difficult to make, it might take some practice at first, but then you’ll be fine. It is usually better to add an egg with the flour, in order to make sure that they don’t come out too soft. Here I didn’t add it because I wanted to keep the recipe light.
Thank you, this certainly looks worth trying and being resricted from gluten bubuckwhea seems to be the first sollution.
Thank you so much, I am glad that you like the recipe! They are really delicious! Give it a try, you’ll see 😉