Medieval Cheese Gnocchi

Groove-less cheese-based gnocchi from before potatoes were introduced

---

City/Region: Italy

Time Period: 14th Century

---

Gnocchi has been around for hundreds of years, and unsurprisingly, the gnocchi of the 14th century was quite a bit different from what we’re used to today. Before the potato was even a twinkle in Italy’s eye, cheese was a common base for the dough.

The first mention of grooves on gnocchi isn’t until 1570 when Bartolomeo Scappi writes about them, so this gnocchi is groove-less. The texture is very different from modern versions. It’s more crumbly, but that could depend on the kind of cheese that you use. Whatever you use, make sure it’s a cheese that you like, because this is essentially boiled cheese held together with some flour and egg. I may not eat a whole bowl of this, but it’s still quite nice.

“If you want gnocchi. Take fresh cheese and pound it; then take flour and mix it with egg yolk in the manner of migliacci. Put a pot filled with water on the fire and when it boils, put the mixture on a board and spoon it off into the pot, and when they are cooked, place them on dishes and sprinkle on plenty of grated cheese.”

— Fragment of a book on cooking from the 14th century

---

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) fresh cheese*, I used mild goat cheese
• 4 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (90 g) semolina flour, more or less as needed
• Hard cheese like parmesan or pecorino, for topping

*The original recipe isn’t specific, so I recommend that you use something that you really enjoy because it will be like 80% of the flavor of the finished gnocchi.

Instructions:

1. If your cheese is firm, mash it until it’s soft. You can use a large mortar and pestle for this, but I just used my hands for this and the rest of the dough-making process. It’s messy, but works well.
2. Once the cheese is soft, add the egg yolks and work them into the cheese.
3. When the egg yolks are incorporated, add about half of the flour and mix it in. Continue to add the flour a little at a time until the dough starts to come together. You only want to use enough flour so that it forms a soft dough that can hold its shape. You may need more or less flour depending on the moisture level of your cheese.
4. Divide the dough into three pieces (you can eyeball this, it doesn’t need to be exact). Roll each piece into logs about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If your cheese isn’t salty, add some salt to the water as you would for other pasta.
6. When the water boils, carefully ladle some of the hot water onto a cutting board, then place one of the dough logs onto the wet board. Hold the board over the pot and cut off walnut-sized pieces of the dough with a ladle, spoon, or knife, letting each piece drop into the water.
7. Boil the gnocchi for about 30 to 45 seconds, or until they float. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Repeat the cutting and cooking process with the remaining two logs of dough.
8. When all the gnocchi are cooked, place them on a serving dish, grate some cheese over them (use plenty for extra authenticity), and serve them forth.

---