INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

To prepare gnocchi:

– 250 ml (1 cup) water

– 125 g (1 cup) wheat flour

– 100 g (3,5 oz) grated Gran Moravia

– 50 g (2 oz)  Gran Moravia butter

– 3 eggs

– salt to taste

To prepare bechamel:

– 25 g (1 oz) Gran Moravia butter

– 20 g  (2 tbsp) wheat flour

– 250 g (8,8 oz) milk

– nutmeg

– salt

For the topping of gratin:

– 40 g (1,5 oz) Gran Moravia butter

– 80 g  (3 oz) grated Gran Moravia

In english they would have been called dumplings, but we like to call them as our nonna taught us: Gnocchi. Very ancient and popular recipe, this variation is made with Gran Moravia hard cheese and then enriched with bechamel and browned in the oven for a perfect gratin. Ideal if you want some warm dish for winter time.

PREPARATION:

To prepare the béchamel, start melting the butter in a pan and add the flour. Stir with a frusta until you get a homogeneous cream, the “roux”. Pour the hot milk and stir continuously with the whisk paying attention to not make it clump. Add salt and nutmeg, cook for a few minutes under a low flame until the béchamel has reached the right consistency (creamy, not too liquid, not too firm).

In another pan boil the water with the butter with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, pour the wheat and stir first with a whisk and then with a ladle when the mixture becomes more firm. Keep cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the mixture detaches from the inside of the pan. Close the heat and let the dough warm down. Then add the eggs one by one and the grated Gran Moravia hard cheese. Stir well.

Use a spoon to shape each gnocco and pour them into salted boiling water to cook them. Cook them for 2-3 minutes.

Cover a pirofila with butter, add a few béchamel on the base, pour the cooked gnocchi and cover with béchamel. Sprinkle with plenty of Gran Moravia grated hard cheese and the remaining butter.

Bake for 15 minutes at 190°C. Serve it very hot.