Water and flour gnocchi is a popular variant of the traditional gnocchi with potatoes in Southern Italy. Here's how to prepare them without potatoes just like in the old days. The world is divided: there are those who love their gnocchi soft and those who love a more substantial one. For those who fall into the second category it’s better to rely on Nonna’s recipe: gnocchi without potatoes that’s prepared with only water and flour. They’re very popular in southern Italy, especially in Campania where they triumph at the table at family meals on Sunday.
Their distinctive trait lies in their consistency: unlike the dough based on potatoes which are much softer, water and flour gnocchi remain pleasantly rich and firm in taste. As well as it being a traditional recipe, making gnocchi without potatoes is a great idea if you don't have any potatoes at home or if you don't have time (or the desire) to boil them. Simple and quick, with very few ingredients, yet a guaranteed success.
Gnocchi - How to prepare them without potatoes
To prepare gnocchi with water and flour you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gnocchi ingredients for 4 people
3 cups Flour, Water, Salt, Extra virgin olive oil, Method
How to make gnocchi
To prepare the gnocchi without potatoes, place the flour in a bowl and create the classic fountain, add a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and start slowly pouring in the water (about half the amount of flour). A secret to prevent the gnocchi from being too hard is to use warm water. Stir until the dough is soft but easy to work, without it sticking to your hands too much.
(For this phase there is also an alternative method which involves using the same amount of
water and flour: first boil the water in a pot, and once it boils turn off the heat and pour in the flour, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps from forming, until you get a well amalgamated dough).
At this point you can transfer the dough onto a lightly floured pastry board and start working it for a couple of minutes until it becomes homogeneous. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes, covered with a cloth to prevent it from drying out.
Cut small pieces of the dough and create long cylinders, rolling them with your hands and then cutting them into chunks, in whatever size you prefer. Now it’s time to give a shape to the gnocchi: the beauty of homemade gnocchi is their slightly irregular shape, achieved by slightly pressing and dragging them on the work surface with your index finger. This way they’ll be slightly hollowed and better able to collect the sauce. Alternatively, you can also groove them with a fork or with a specific tool called rigagnocchi. Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water and drain them as soon as they rise to the surface.
Gnocchi water and flour: how to season them consistent with tradition
These gnocchi can be seasoned as you wish but a simple sciuè sciuè tomato sauce would be perfect. A decent Neapolitan-style ragu or a sausage ragu are equally great ideas, but the sauce that goes best with gnocchi from Campania is obviously the Sorrento-style sauce, with tomato, basil and mozzarella melted.
Gnocchi alla sorrentina can be prepared without potatoes
The quickest method is to serve them "al piatto", adding the cubes of mozzarella to the tomato sauce and gnocchi in the pan only at the very last moment, giving it just enough time to melt. The most traditional version is as an alternative is "gnocchi al tegamino", seasoned with tomato and mozzarella cubes, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and put in the oven for a few minutes using earthenware pots so that the mozzarella melts and creates a divine crust. Finish with a sprinkling of black pepper you won’t regret it.