Gnocchi in Brodo is a delicious recipe that my mamma always made for special occasions. The gnocchi are so light they float in the rich homemade broth. The farina dumplings are rich in parmesan cheese, eggs, and farina (cream of wheat).
Italian broth is very light, somewhat thin compared to stock which is heavier and more concentrated. The broth that we make is somewhere in-between. A stock is usually a means to an end, just one ingredient in the building of a complex sauce.
A broth, on the other hand, can be an end in itself. A lot of pasta is served simply in brodo. Or the brodo can be a major component in a dish, such as the Gnocchi in Brodo.
Use broth instead of water
We rarely use plain water when making farro, quinoa, rice, or couscous. Instead, we use broth. Whenever we make soup, we use homemade stock or broth as the liquid instead of water. This way you’ve got a head start in the flavor department.
For our homemade broth, we use assorted pieces of meat and bones in addition to some flavoring vegetables and herbs {odori}. We never use pork or lamb in our broth; it would give the broth too strong a flavor.
The water amount will depend on how much meat and bones we have for the broth. The vegetables and herbs, then, will also vary. We have come across a technique that enhances the flavor of the broth — you first roast the meat, bones and the vegetables to extract as much flavor as possible.
Odori for the Brodo Chopped in Larger Pieces
The secret to an excellent broth
You follow: Seven Principles of Making Broth:
- 1. Start the broth in cold water.
- 2. Simmer the broth gently, do not let it boil.
- 3. Skim the top of the broth frequently.
- 4. Strain the broth carefully.
- 5. Cool the broth quickly.
- 6. Store the broth in the refrigerator for no more than three days or freeze up to 3-4 months.
- 7. Degrease the broth.
When we made this recipe, we already had our broth in the freezer so in this post we’ll give you the recipe, but we’ll post a picture tutorial at a later date when we make the broth again. We made this broth was with a turkey carcass. We follow the same method my mamma used when she roasted a turkey. She deboned the meaty pieces and then used the bones and bony parts to make the brodo. We will give you the recipe for All Our Way of roasting turkey in a later post.
Gnocchi in Brodo – putting it together
You will use about 2 quarts of broth for the Gnocchi in Brodo. Now I know that the dedicated chefs will cringe when I use the Kraft Parmesan cheese for this recipe, but when we first came to this country, my mamma didn’t have Parmigiano Reggiano to fall back on. I’m using her recipe, so this is what I use.
Ingredients for Gnocchi in Brodo
The recipe is easy although it may seem that there are a lot of steps. It’s made mostly by feel. You mix the same ratio of parmesan to the cream of wheat – do not use the instant Cream of Wheat. You beat the eggs separately.
Beaten egg yolks and egg whites
You fold part of the ingredients are into the whites. You don’t dump it all in. Gently fold the farina-parmesan into the whites. Once the mixture is the right consistency, add the yolks.
Depending on the size of the eggs you may not need all of the dry ingredients — you can save them to use at a later date.
Gnocchi Ready to put in Brodo
The finished dough is moist and light. Mixing too long will give you chewy gnocchi. It’s important to keep the brodo at a simmer.
Gnocchi dropped into Simmering Broth
Scoop up a small amount of dough, dip the spoon into the broth, and let the dumpling slide off. The gnocchi will sink to the bottom, but as they cook they’ll float to the top.
Let the gnocchi cook for about 15 minutes. Your cooking time will depend on the size of the gnocchi. Don’t make them enormous thinking you’ll save time at the stove you’ll only make them tough. 😉
IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE ME MAKING THE VIDEO THE LINK IS BELOW:
The Gnocchi in Brodo are delicious. It brings back many happy memories of my mamma making this for a primo {first course} on Sunday.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Gnocchi in Brodo | Gnocchi in Broth
This recipe makes a homemade broth that is light in flavor but rich in taste. Egg, cream of wheat, and parmesan cheese combine to make a light as a feather cheese dumpling.
A light, thin, savory broth obtained by first roasting the bones, trimmings from the meat, and vegetables. Then light as feather dumplings are dropped into the rich broth to absorb the delicious liquid.
- 6 lbs bones with meat beef, veal, chicken, turkey
- 1 onion large
- 2 carrots scrubbed
- 2 celery stalks washed
- 2 tomatoes ripe
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp salt
- fresh parsley handful
- 2 sprigs thyme & bay leaves
- 7 qt water
- 1/2 cup cream of wheat not quick or instant
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 eggs large separated
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Do not rinse bones but put them in a large oiled roasting pan.
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Roast the bones turning once with a pair of tongs, until the bones caramelize, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on them because if they burn they'll give the broth a bitter taste.
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Meanwhile, prepare your odori: roughly chop the onion, celery, and carrots and toss them with a little oil. Place them in another orating pan or sheet and roast alongside the bones until the odori are lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes.
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Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stock pot -- this includes everything on the bottom of the pan, including any fat.
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Deglaze the roasting pan by adding a few cups of cold water. Use a solid spatula to lift off food particles from the bottom of the pan. Add this mixture to the stockpot.
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Add the roasted odori, herbs, tomato halves, garlic, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves to the stockpot. Pour the cold water over the bones until the ingredients are submerged. Place on a stove burner.
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Bring stock to a boil then reduce heat immediately so it can remain at a constant simmer 3 to 4 hours, hours, covered, occasionally skimming excess oil or scum off the top. All you need to be sure is that it stays at a simmer.
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When the broth is done use a sturdy Spider Skimmer to dip into the large pot and fish out the bones, meat pieces and vegetables. Put them in a large colander over a bowl so that all the liquid drains then toss the solids in the garbage. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into another pot.
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When the broth is at room temperature, divide it among sanitized containers for storage. Quart mason jars work well for freezing. Be sure to leave at least 1 inch of headspace to allow for expansion.
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A thin layer of fat may form on the top but this helps to preserve the broth. You can easily remove it with a spoon before using it.
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The broth can be refrigerated for up to a week or it can be frozen for 3-4 months.
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YOU WILL NEED 2 QUARTS OF HOMEMADE BROTH OR A GOOD QUALITY CANNED BROTH. In a pot bring the broth to a slow simmer. In a bowl, mix the cream of wheat and the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
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Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and place in two different bowls.
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With an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Next, beat the egg yolks until light and lemon in color.
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Sprinkle half of the farina-parmesan mix over the egg whites. Gently fold in the dry mix into the egg whites until combined. Check to make sure it's not too dry. If not dry, sprinkle a bit more over the whites and continue to fold in.
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Now, add all of the beaten egg yolks to the mixture still using the folding motion. If too moist sprinkle a bit more of the dry mix. The dry mix will continue to absorb the eggs.
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The gnocchi mixture is NOT a stiff dough. It should be light and porous. To form the gnocchi, take a teaspoon and dip it in the hot broth then gently scoop some of the dough and round it against the side of the bowl. Dip it into the simmering broth. It should slide right off. Continue to make the gnocchi in brodo until you've used all of the dough.
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Using a large spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure no dumpling stuck. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Check a dumpling to make sure it's cooked all the way through. Believe me; they taste as good leftover.
Do not use lamb or pork in the broth -- it will have too strong of a flavor.
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