Prep Time::20 mins
Cook Time::35 mins
Additional Time::15 mins
Total Time:: 1 hr 10 mins
Servings::4
Yield::4 servings
Ingredients
1 quart milk
5 tablespoons butter, divided
salt to taste
1 ½ cups fine semolina flour
2 egg yolks
1 ¼ cups grated Grana Padano cheese, divided
⅓ cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 (3 ounce) package pancetta bacon, diced
1 pinch ground nutmeg, or to taste
Directions
Combine milk, 1/4 cup butter, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk semolina into boiling milk, mixing well to prevent lumps. Reduce heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Add egg yolks, 1 cup Grana Padano, and Gruyere cheese; stir well.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook and stir pancetta until crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir pancetta into semolina mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets with 1 1/2 teaspoon butter.
Spread semolina mixture onto 1 of the prepared baking sheets, about 1/2-inch thick. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
Cut small disks out of cooled semolina using a juice glass or cookie cutter. Place the disks onto the other prepared baking sheet, slightly overlapping the disks. Sprinkle the remaining Grana Padano cheese over disks and dot with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon butter.
Bake in the preheated oven until gnocchi are nicely crisp and golden, about 20 minutes.
Cook's Notes:
You can easily prepare the gnocchi in advance, refrigerate or freeze, and bake at the last minute.
Speck (Northern Italian bacon-style cured meat) or bacon can be used in place of the pancetta. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese can be used in place of the Grana Padano cheese.