Gabriella's Farmer Cheese Gnocchi
Author Notes: My Mom wasn't a baker but she did make gnocchi and on occasion, savory phyllo pastries. I have a hard time thinking of one specific technique because many of the things I do now, I probably learned by simply being in the room, observing, listening, and doing. Cleaning as you go was a pretty big one, though! With this recipe, I remember being taught about gently dropping the gnocchi into the pot of boiling water, but only on the sides. My Mom told me that this was one of the very first baby foods she made for me because they were so delicate. I make them now when I have a hankering for home. Serve them with sour cream and you'll be at our Russian table. - Naked Beet - NakedBeet
Food52 Review: These little, soft dumplings are the stuff of fond memories. Served plain with a little salt and sour cream, it's hard not to fall in love with them. Similar to potato gnocchi or flour dumplings, these gnocchi are salty little balls of creamy cheese. They are easy to throw together and not as fussy as potato gnocchi. - Stephanie - A&M
Serves 4
- 15 ounces farmers cheese
- 2 large eggs
- dash salt
- pepper if you like it
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Mix the farmer cheese, eggs and salt together. Incorporate all the flour. The consistency should be that of the dough coming together without looking like pasta dough or bread dough, it should still have a bit of stickiness to it. The less flour you add, the more delicate in taste the gnocchi will be.
- Set a pot of water to boil and keep on high until you're ready to place in the gnocchi.
- Once all the dough is mixed, start forming little balls of dough, about 1/2" wide, giving them a firm push in the center. Drop them gently into the boiling water. They will take a few seconds to cook and when they surface to the top, they're done!
- The most humble way of eating them is with some sour cream and salt, but you can also dress them in a more zesty pesto sauce or gremolata.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for The Best Recipe or Technique Your Mother Taught You
Tags: comfort food, kid-friendly, quick


about 3 years ago NakedBeet
Thanks for testing, Stephanie. So glad you enjoyed them!
about 3 years ago testkitchenette
I love the picture. I know how you feel about sort of picking up recipes and techniques by osmosis...just being present while my mom/grandmas cooked the same things year after year enabled me to gain a lot of skills that I am not even conscious of having. My family is Polish and farmer cheese is typically used in pierogies (saurkraut and farmer cheese ones), I can't wait to use the farmer cheese in your gnocchi!
about 3 years ago NakedBeet
Thanks! My grandma made "piroshki," too. Sometimes a sweetened farmer cheese (oh my god, those were good!) or sour cherries or meat dumplings. Love sauerkraut, would love to see one of your recipes up if you haven't posted one already.