Gnocchi in Brodo {Gnocchi in Broth}Mamma’s recipe

Gnocchi in Brodo is a delicious recipe that my mamma always made. The gnocchi are so light they float in the rich homemade broth. The gnocchi 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.  Broth, on the other hand, can be an end in itself. A lot of pasta is served simply

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.  

Gnocchi in Brodo

Use broth instead of water

We rarely use plain water when making farro, quinoa, rice, or couscous. Instead, we use broth. When we make soup we add our homemade broth versus 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 Can Be Chopped in Larger Pieces

The secret to a good 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 the recipe but we’ll post a picture tutorial at a later date when we make the broth again. This broth was made 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 pieces to make the brodo. We will give you the recipe for All Our Way of roasting turkey in a later post.

All Our Way Broth { Il Brodo}

A light, thin, savory liquid obtained by first roasting the bones and trimmings from your meat and also roasting your vegetables.

• Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 pounds mixed bones ( beef, veal, chicken, turkey) preferably with some meat — no less than 1 1/2 pounds.
• 1 large onion peeled
• 2 scrubbed carrots
• 2 large celery stalks washed
• 1 – 2 ripe fresh tomatoes halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorn
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Handful of fresh parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Approximately 7 quarts of water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Do not rinse bones, but put them in a large oiled roasting pan.
3. 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.
4. Meanwhile prepare your odori: roughly chop the onion, celery and carrots and toss them with a little oil.
5. Place them in another roasting pan or sheet and roast alongside the bones until the odori are lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes.
6. Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stock pot — this includes everything on the bottom of the pan, including any fat.
7. Deglaze the roasting pan by adding a few cups of cold water. Use a solid spatula to lift off any food particles from the bottom of the pan. Add this mixture to the stock pot.
8. Add the roasted odori, herbs, tomato halves, garlic, peppercorns, salt and bay leaves to the stock pot. Pour the cold water over the bones until the ingredients are submerged. Place on stove burner.
9. Bring stock to a boil then reduce heat immediately so it can remain at a constant simmer 3 to 4, hours, covered, occasionally skimming excess oil or scum off the top. All you need to be sure is that it stays at a simmer.
10. At the end of that time, use a sturdy Spider Skimmer to dip into the large pot and fish out the bones, meat pieces and vegetables. Let them drain so that all the liquid is extracted and then toss them in the garbage. When you have fished out all the large pieces strain the broth through a fine sieve into another pot.
11. When it is at room temp, divide among sanitized covered containers for storage. Quart mason jars work well for freezing but be sure to leave at least 1 inch of head space to allow for expansion.
12. A thin layer of fat may form on the top but this helps to preserve the broth and you can easily remove it with a spoon before using it.
13. The broth can be refrigerated for up to a week or it can be frozen for 3-4 month.

Notes

• Do not use lamb or pork in the broth — it will have too strong of a flavor.

Nutrition

• Calories: 5686
• Sugar: 24
• Sodium: 9204
• Fat: 255
• Saturated Fat: 97
• Unsaturated Fat: 116
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 50
• Protein: 754
• Cholesterol: 2145

Gnocchi in Brodo – putting it together

You will use about 2 quarts of broth for the Gnocchi in Brodo.  Now I know that the really 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. This is her recipe so this is what I use.

Ingredients for Gnocchi in Brodo

The recipe is very simple. It’s made mostly by feel. You mix the same ratio of parmesan to cream of wheat – do not use the instant Cream of Wheat. The eggs are beaten separately and

Beaten egg yolks and egg whites

the ingredients are gently folded into the whites first and then the yolks are added. 

Depending on the size of the eggs you may not need all of the dry ingredients — you can save them to use at later date.

Gnocchi Ready to put in Brodo

The finished dough is moist and light. Mixing too long will give you chewy gnocchi. The brodo is always kept at a simmer.

Gnocchi being dropped into Simmering Broth

 Scoop up a small amount of dough, dip the spoon into the broth,  and let the dough 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 huge thinking you’ll save some time at the stove you’ll only make them tough. 😉

Gnocchi in Brodo

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! 

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