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Two cups of chicken broth with cheese dumplings on a green plaid placemat with a partial loaf of Italian bread .
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5 from 29 votes

Gnocchi in Brodo | Gnocchi in Broth Like Mamma Made

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. 
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours 30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 100kcal

Ingredients

BRODO | BROTH

  • 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
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • fresh parsley handful
  • 2 sprigs thyme & bay leaves
  • 7 qt water

GNOCCHI |FARINA & CHEESE

  • ½ cup cream of wheat not quick or instant
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese finely grated
  • 2 eggs large separated

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BRODO

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Do not rinse bones but put them in a large oiled roasting pan. 
  • Roast the bones turning once with a pair of tongs, until the bones caramelize, approximately 1 ½  hours. Keep an eye on them because if they burn they'll give the broth a bitter taste. 
  • 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.
  • Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stock pot -- this includes everything on the bottom of the pan, including any fat. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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.
  • 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.  
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • The broth can be refrigerated for up to a week or it can be frozen for 3-4 months. 

THE GNOCCHI | FARINA (CREAM OF WHEAT) DUMPLINGS

  • 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. 
  • Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and place in two different bowls. 
  • With an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Next, beat the egg yolks until light and lemon in color. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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.  

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1063mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2955IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 4.1mg