Italian cooking
Gnocchi alla romana — semolina baked with Parmesan
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Rounds of semolina cooked with milk and Parmesan, soft in the centre, develop a thin golden crust in the oven. Nutmeg and butter give this Roman bake its gentle, warming aroma.
Method
- If preparing both original and lighter portions, set aside the ingredients and quantities specified for the lighter portions; the remainder is for the original portions. Prepare the two versions separately whenever their cooking or seasoning differs. Quantities given for the whole preparation are divided between the separate containers, not repeated in each one. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan with 20 g butter, the salt and nutmeg. Heat over a medium heat until just simmering, then pour in the semolina in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
- Lower the heat and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring with a spatula and scraping the bottom and corners. The semolina should thicken considerably, pull away from the sides and no longer taste raw. Remove from the heat, wait for 2 minutes, then quickly stir in the egg yolk, 35 g Parmesan and the pepper.
- Immediately spread the semolina 1 cm thick on a sheet of baking paper on a tray, using a lightly dampened spatula. Leave to cool for 25–30 minutes: the slab should be firm enough for the rounds to lift off without bending.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional. Use the allotted 5 g butter to grease one or more dishes that allow the same slight overlap (reference size: 20 × 25 cm for two portions). Cut out 5 cm rounds with a cutter, arrange the trimmings on the bottom of the dish, then line up the rounds on top, slightly overlapping. Nothing is discarded.
- Melt the remaining 35 g butter over a low heat and spoon over the rounds. Sprinkle with 25 g Parmesan. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cheese sizzling; finish under the grill for 2 minutes only if the top is still pale.
- Take out of the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Serve with a wide spatula: the top should be browned, the centre tender and creamy, with no hard grains of semolina.
Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.
Lighter version
Reference variation for two servings.
The centre stays soft, but the bake is less buttery, with a thinner cheese crust. The semolina and nutmeg are more noticeable, with less rounded, salty richness.
- Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) : 30 g
- Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece) : 40 g
Use 10 g butter in the milk, 3 g for the dish and 17 g on the rounds. Use 25 g Parmesan in the semolina and 15 g on top. Keep the semolina, milk and egg yolk quantities unchanged so the rounds hold their shape.
Less butter and Parmesan; the rounds retain their milk-to-semolina ratio.
On your plate
Recipe
810 kcal · protein 29 g · carbs 65 g · fat 47 g
Quantities per person
- 75 g Fine durum wheat semolina
- 300 g Fresh milk, 3% fat (1 litre carton)
- 9 g Egg to separate for its yolk
- 30 g Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece)
- 30 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block)
- 0.15 g Whole nutmeg
- 1.5 g Fine salt
- 0.15 g Ground black pepper
Cooking tips
Use fine semolina, not precooked couscous. The semolina slab can be refrigerated once cool; the displayed time includes resting and baking on the same day. Putting the trimmings beneath the rounds avoids waste without affecting the browned top.
Gnocchi alla romana made with semolina, milk, egg yolk, butter and Parmesan: https://www.turismoroma.it/it/30092013-gnocchi-del-giovedi.
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