As much as you probably want to get straight into rolling out some fresh egg pasta sheets this simple hand rolled shape is the perfect pasta making start. If you have a gnocchi board that is great but if not, anything you have at home with a texture will work. I love using a microplane or cheese grater. This shape works perfectly with my nduja mac and cheese or roast tomato sauce.
What you need to make gnocchi sardi pasta
The flour - this shape and most hand rolled shapes are made with a durum wheat, it is a super fine semolina and will be labelled semolina rimacinata. It has a lot more structure than plain flour or '00' and has a magical bite to it when cooked.
Water - This is a flour and water dough, it's too easy! Flour and water doughs are really easy to bring together, much more simple than an egg dough. I like to use slightly warm water.
Gnocchi board - this is totally optional, you can use anything you have with a texture. A cheese grater is perfect and there are photos of this below.
Bench Scraper - This is an essential tool for me but you can definitely just use your hands. I use the bench scraper once you have finished with your fork and you need to start bringing the dough together. Cutting the mixture up and down with the scraper brings it together really easily into a nice shaggy dough ready for kneading.
How to make gnocchi sardi pasta
- Weigh your flour and make a pile on your bench, I like to use the bottom of a bowl to make a firm well in the middle for the water to go
2. Pour your water into the middle then use a fork to start mixing the flour in, bringing small bits at a time from the outside into the liquid. It will thicken quite quickly and when it gets really thick bring all the remaining flour into the middle with your hands or a bench scraper.
3. This is where I use the dough scraper to cut the dough up and down and side to side to incorporate the flour and water together into a shaggy dough.
4. Once you have an even shaggy dough bring it together into a ball, it will seem like a right mess at this point but I promise it will all come together!
5. Squeeze the ball together and start to knead it, it needs a fair bit of elbow grease here. Knead for 3 - 4 minutes until it has a dimpled texture, then wrap it in cling film and rest for 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes continue kneading for 3 - 4 minutes until you have a lovely smooth ball of dough. Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour or up to three.
Shaping the gnocchi sardi pasta
- Once the dough has rested, cut off one slice at a time, keeping the rest wrapped tightly. Pinch the slice together into a sausage shape.
2. Start rolling it on a wooden board with your hands flat down working from the middle to the outside until you have a long strand about the width of your thumb.
3. Cut into 2cm pieces then using your thumb roll it down your gnocchi board (or cheese grater!). You need to use a bit of pressure here so it curls over itself nicely. If it sticks then give your board a light dusting with flour. They come together pretty quick! I like to put them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and dusted with course semolina.
How to store the pasta
They can be cooked straight away or left out on the bench for 20 - 30 mins with some cling film over. Any longer than that you can put them in the fridge as long as your tray is dusted really well with some semolina as they can stick. I am a big fan of freezing, even if I am having them that day. I will place the tray into the freezer, open with no covering until they are frozen then transfer to a container or snap lock bag. They cook really well from frozen.
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Hand rolled gnocchi sardi pasta
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 people
Description
An easy and quick hand rolled pasta shape made from a simple flour and water dough.
Ingredients
- 450g semolina rimacinata flour
- 225g warm water
Instructions
- Pour your flour out onto your bench and use the bottom of a bowl to make a well in the middle. Pour the water into the middle then use a fork to start whisking, slowly and carefully incorporating the flour into the middle.
- When the centre liquid gets really thick, abandon the fork and go straight in with your hands or alternatively use a bench scraper to start mixing it all together until you end up with an even shaggy mixture.
- Bring it together into a ball and start to knead, this will be messy but it will come together I promise!
- Knead quite vigorously for a few minutes until it comes together like in the picture above (a dimpled texture) Wrap tightly and leave for 10 mins.
- After 10 mins knead again for 3 - 4 mins until you get a really smooth ball of dough. Wrap again and rest at room temperature for at least 30 mins but preferably an hour or up to three.
- Prepare a tray lined with baking paper and dusted with a layer of course semolina so they don’t stick.
- Slice a section off the ball and form it into a sausage shape then with your hands really flat against the board roll it until it is long and even, starting in the middle and working out with your fingers splayed.
- Cut the strip into pieces around 2cm Using a gnocchi board or anything with a texture, roll the little pieces down the board with your thumb until they curl over themselves. Press quite hard so that it doesn’t end up too thick, you’ll get the hang of it after a few. If your pieces are sticking, dust your board with some flour.
- Repeat until all your dough is used up. They are fine sitting out at room temp if you are going to use them straight away. If not, pop the tray uncovered into the freezer until frozen then place into a container or snap lock bag and keep in the freezer to be cooked from frozen.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Keywords: pasta gnocchi
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