Gnocchis

BY: EUGÈNIE ADDA PHOTOGRAPHY: MAXIME LEYVASTRE

Myth: At first named zanzarelli and then malfatti (badly made), gnocchi is the original pasta, invented somewhere in the Italian valley of Ledro, in the bronze age. Through the ages it was popular and royal, in the beginning it was prepared with breadcrumbs and almond milk, in later years with flour, water and eggs. At times colour was added by spinach or saffron and it was customary for it to be served at court after military victories. Over the course of the 18th century, the recipe was bettered by the addition of potatoes, and so it remains to this day. In France, the gnocchi adopted an s and democratized itself towards the end of the 19th century, being served in brasseries and fancy restaurants alike. In an excerpt from Emile Zola’s book, Nana, there is mention of “parmesan niokys” served during dinner at a courtesan’s.

Fancy: Following the Italian obsession, this pasta, made by hand and flattened by a fork, has found itself, since last season, at the top of bistro cuisine. Nothing ordinary about the dishes though, gnocchis, from now on, finds itself surrounded by the finest and most superior ingredients such as black truffles, farm goat’s cheese and snail. Grégory Marchand of Frenchie, Sven Chartier at Saturne and Franck Baranger at Pantruche were among the first to celebrate the gnocchis, followed by other young professional of the néo-bistro.

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Sourcing: What sourcing? If a dish of gnocchis were to be cooked without its finer ingredients, you’d be better off doing them yourself, at home, rustic style, for a softer and lighter texture. Purists might like to attempt the roman recipe, or do it the Parisian way, in which the base is a cauliflower dough. Or neither and go classic italian.

A plate of truffle gnocchis at Tommy and Co.