Roman-style gnocchi 

Roman-style gnocchi is a classic semolina-based first course of the Capitoline tradition, prepared mainly on Thursdays. In fact, the famous saying "Thursday gnocchi" derives from an ancient popular belief, which claimed that throughout Italy gnocchi were eaten on Thursday, fish on Friday and tripe on Saturday. Very simple to make, the original version includes a condiment based on butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, to be then au gratin in the oven and enjoyed hot. There is a variation of the traditional recipe, with sauce, meatballs and grated cheese.

Ingredients

250 g Semolina

1 l Whole milk

2 egg yolks

3 pinches Fine salt

Black pepper

Nutmeg

100 g grated cheese

50 g Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)

100 g Butter

Steps

Pour the milk into a saucepan, season with salt and pepper, a sprinkling of nutmeg and a knob of butter taken from the 100 grams. Stir with a whisk and as soon as it begins to boil, pour in the semolina, a little at a time to avoid lumps and stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture thickens, which should have a consistency similar to polenta, or mashed potatoes. Turn off and remove the saucepan from the heat, then add two egg yolks and the grated cheese, mix well and vigorously using a wooden spoon, so as to mix everything perfectly. Now turn the mixture over a sheet of parchment paper, being careful not to burn yourself (perhaps wet your hands) and give it the shape of a twist, rolling it up and wrapping it in parchment paper. If you want, you can divide the dough in two for convenience, forming two smaller twists. Let the roll cool for at least 30 minutes, then unwrap it and slice it with a smooth-bladed knife, into slices of about half a centimeter (no lower). Preheat the oven to 200°C and butter a large baking dish very well. Arrange the slices of gnocchi alla Romana by overlapping them slightly, finish by pouring over the melted butter (not hot) and sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese and a light sprinkling of black pepper. Bake at 200° C for 20 minutes in a static oven, or at 180° C for 15 minutes in a convection oven. In both modes, at the end of cooking, cook au gratin for a few minutes, in order to make the surface crispy. Remove from the oven and serve your gnocchi alla Romana piping hot.