If you don't have the time to make fresh pasta at home following traditional recipes, you can take a shortcut. Using self-raising flour, a liquid and a fat of your choice, you'll be able to make the dough in no time. By following the steps in this article, you can prepare maltagliati or gnocchi in two different sizes: small and rustic, similar to quenelles or large and smooth, reminiscent of dumplings. Once ready, you can cook maltagliati, gnocchetti or canederli dipped in broth, soup or stew and serve them hot on cold winter evenings.
Ingrediants
Maltagliati in Broth
- 185 g of self-raising flour
- 40 g of melted butter
- 30 ml of milk or buttermilk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- A hot soup or broth of your choice
For 8 people
Flour dumplings in broth
- 35 g of margarine or vegetable fat
- 185 g of self-raising flour
- Half a tablespoon of dry chives or 1 tablespoon of fresh chives
- 180 ml of milk
- A hot soup or stew of your choice
For 6-8 people
Canederli with Herbs in Broth
- 150 g of self-raising flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley or fresh thyme
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 15 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 60 ml of cold water
- A hot soup or stew of your choice
For 8 large dumplings
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Maltagliati in Broth
Step 1. Pour the flour, butter, milk, egg and parsley into a bowl
Use a large bowl and add 185g of flour, 40g of melted butter, 30ml of milk or buttermilk, and a large, lightly beaten egg. If you want, you can also add a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.
If you don't have butter, you can replace it with vegetable shortening or margarine
Step 2. Blend the ingredients to make a soft dough
Stir until the flour has absorbed the butter, milk and egg. At that point, start working the dough with your hands until it gives it a round shape.
Stop working the dough when it has incorporated all the residues on the bottom of the bowl. If you work it too long, the dumplings will turn out tough
Step 3. Roll out the dough until it is less than 1cm thick
Flour the work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to give it a uniform thickness.
It is not necessary to give a precise shape to the dough, but try to keep it square or rectangular while you roll it out with a rolling pin. This will make it easier to prepare the maltagliati
Step 4. Cut the dough into squares about 5 cm wide
Take a knife or a pastry wheel and cut it into strips about 5 cm wide. Turn the knife or wheel 90 degrees and cut the strips of dough into squares.
- You can use a pastry wheel with a wavy blade if you want the maltagliati to have curled edges.
- If you prefer, you can cut the dough into long thin strips without reducing it into squares.
Step 5. Cook the maltagliati in a hot soup or broth
Heat at least one liter of soup or broth in a large pot. Let the maltagliati sink into the boiling liquid trying to keep them separate.
Do not push the maltagliati into the soup or broth
Step 6. Let the pasta cook for 10 minutes in the uncovered pot
Adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers slowly and, from time to time, stir the maltagliati gently, to prevent them from sticking together. After 10 minutes, taste the pasta to make sure it's cooked. At that point, turn off the stove and serve the maltagliati in broth.
You can check that the pasta is cooked by tasting it
Method 2 of 3: Flour Dumplings in Broth
Step 1. Mix the fat with the flour until the dough has a smooth and crumbly consistency
Pour 185 g of self-raising flour into a bowl and add 35 g of margarine or vegetable fat. Mix the two ingredients with a fork, a pastry scraper or with your hands. Knead the dough until it is uniform and slightly crumbly.
If you use vegetable shortening, you can chill it in the refrigerator to be able to cut it into small pieces and mix it more easily with the flour
Step 2. Add the milk and chives
Use half a tablespoon of dry chives or a tablespoon of chopped fresh chives. Incorporate it into the dough along with 180 ml of milk. Wait until the flour has completely absorbed the milk before continuing.
At this point the dough should have a compact consistency. Do not worry if instead of being perfectly smooth it has small lumps, they will not affect the result of the recipe
Step 3. Make dumplings with two teaspoons and cook them in hot broth
Heat some broth, soup, or stew over medium heat. Take two teaspoons or a small ice cream scoop and make balls to dip into the hot liquid. Keep making the dumplings until you run out of dough.
Suggestion:
if you use a large pot, you will have a larger surface area of liquid in which to let the balls of dough sink and you will not have to overlap them.
Step 4. Cover the pot and simmer the flour dumplings for 10-15 minutes
Adjust the flame so the liquid doesn't boil. When the time runs out, taste the dumplings to make sure they are cooked. Alternatively, you can stick them with a toothpick; if when you take it out it is clean, it means they are ready. Serve them with broth, soup, or stew.
The size of the gnocchi affects the cooking time: the smaller they are, the faster they will cook. Keep this in mind and taste them after 10 minutes if they are very small
Method 3 of 3: Herb Dumplings in Broth
Step 1. Mix the flour with the salt, pepper and herbs
Pour 150 g of self-raising flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Chop two tablespoons of parsley or fresh thyme and add them to the dumpling dough. Stir until the ingredients are well blended.
Suggestion:
you can substitute parsley or thyme with your favorite herbs, for example with sage or rosemary.
Step 2. Incorporate the extra virgin olive oil and egg yolk
Separate the yolk from the egg white, remove the latter and beat the red lightly with the fork in a bowl. Add 15ml of extra virgin olive oil and the beaten egg yolk to the dry ingredients, then mix until absorbed by the flour.
You can save the egg white for another recipe
Step 3. Add cold water to make a soft dough
Use very cold water and stir in one tablespoon (15ml) at a time for a total of 4 tablespoons (60ml). You should notice that the dough begins to peel off the edges of the bowl. Work it with your hands until it is smooth and elastic.
If the dough appears compact and homogeneous before you have added all the water, it is not necessary to use it all. If you add too much water, the dumplings will get too heavy
Step 4. Shape the dough and form eight balls
Divide it into eight equal parts using the knife or tearing it with your hands. Roll the pieces of dough between your palms to give it a rounded shape.
Flour your hands if the dough is sticky
Step 5. Dip the dumplings in the broth or soup and let them simmer for 15 minutes
Heat the broth, soup or stew on the stove. If the liquid is thick, push the dumplings towards the bottom of the pot until they sink halfway down. Cover the pot and let them simmer for 15 minutes.
Make sure the stew meat is cooked before adding the dumplings
Step 6. Uncover the pot and let the dumplings cook for another 15 minutes
Remove the lid from the pot and allow the broth, soup, or stew to simmer slowly. Finish cooking the dumplings with the pot uncovered to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Serve hot dipped in broth, soup or stew.
- Insert a toothpick in the center of one of the dumplings. If it is clean when you take it out, it means they are cooked.
- If you prefer, you can put the casserole in the oven and let the dumplings cook in the oven at 190 ° C for 30 minutes.
