L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANCESCA BEZZONE I t is true: gnocchi alla Romana are a d e l i c i o u s c o m f o r t f o o d . W a r m , creamy, decadent, yet simple and traditional, t h e y o r i g i n a t e f r o m t h e region of Lazio , as their name betrays, but they are t o d a y p o p u l a r a c r o s s t h e country. They are special, b e c a u s e t h e y a r e c a l l e d g n o c c h i , b u t t h e y h a v e n o t h i n g i n c o m m o n w i t h t h e f a m o u s p o t a t o d u m - plings everyone knows, as there are no potatoes nor flour in sight here. A s i t o f t e n i s t h e c a s e with our most traditional dishes, mystery enshrouds their origins, to the point that, in truth, no one really k n o w s w h e n a n d w h e r e they were created. And the fact they use butter and parmigiano — two ingre- d i e n t s m o r e t y p i c a l o f n o r t h e r n c u i s i n e t h a n Lazio's — made many belie- ve they had in fact origina- t e d s o m e w h e r e n e a r t h e Alps, like Piedmont. I t w a s , e v e n t u a l l y , t h e great Pellegrino Artusi to dispel all doubts when, i n h i s s e m i n a l c u l i n a r y work La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar Bene, h e d e f i n e d g n o c c h i a l l a R o m a n a o n e o f t h e s e t t e p i a t t i d i c h i a r a t a m e n t e romani, that is, one of the s e v e n d i s h e s h e c a l l e d "overtly Roman." If Artusi's w o r d s w e r e n ' t e n o u g h , t h o s e o f a n o t h e r f o o d expert, Ada Boni, came to h e l p : i n h e r L a C u c i n a Romana, whose aim was, in fact, that of preserving and passing on the capital's own c u l i n a r y t r a d i t i o n s , s h e explained how gnocchi alla Romana are the last vestige of a Roman way of life that no longer exists. She wrote: "milk gnocchi alla Romana used to be, a long time ago, a common dish that good Romans would make every time there was something to celebrate. In particular, they would triumph at chri- s t e n i n g b a n q u e t s o r a t Carnevale dinners." In spite of their unknown origins, then, gnocchi alla Romana are a staple of the Eternal City's food tradi- tion. But they are so deli- c i o u s y o u ' l l f i n d t h e m everywhere in Italy: indeed, they are a popular "rostic- ceria" dish, one you can buy and bring home, heat up in t h e o v e n a n d j u s t e n j o y . While in Rome Thursday is notably the day of gnocchi, i n m y f a m i l y , u p i n Piedmont, they were more o f a S u n d a y d i s h . E i t h e r way, they are comforting, filling, good for your belly. And good for your soul, too. Ingredients (4 peo- ple) 1 liter (4 cups) of milk 1 1/2 cup of semolina 1/2 cup of butter 2/3 cup grated parmigia- no or grana 2 egg yolks nutmeg (to taste) salt (to taste) Instructions B r i n g t h e m i l k t o t h e boil, adding 1 1/2 tbsps of butter and a pinch of salt to it. Once the mixture boils, pour the semolina "a piog- gia," that is, sparingly, little by little and over the whole surface of the liquid (this helps avoid lumps to form). With their creamy texture and satisafying taste, gnocchi alla Romana are a perfect comfort food (Photo: Monkey Business Images/Dreamstime) Gnocchi alla Romana: the gnocchi that aren't gnocchi! Continued to page 32

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