Gnocchi di Semolino alla Romana
Also: Roman semolina gnocchi, Gnocchi alla romana
A Roman dish of firm semolina-and-milk dough cut into discs, layered with butter and parmesan, and baked until golden.
Identity criteria
- 1Made from semolina cooked in milk into a thick polenta-like dough, not potato
- 2Enriched with egg yolk and parmesan
- 3Cut into round discs once set and cooled
- 4Overlapped in a baking dish and topped with butter and parmesan
- 5Baked (gratinated) until golden on top
Components
Semolina (semolino) flouressential
Butteressential
Milkessential
Egg yolkessential
Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano), salt, nutmegessential
Extra grated parmesan for the topoptional
Technique
- Cooking semolina in milk
- Forms the firm, sliceable dough that defines the dish; potato is never used
- Setting and cutting into discs
- Cooling the dough lets it firm so it can be cut into the characteristic rounds
- Baking au gratin
- The butter and parmesan top browns into a golden crust
Form & serving
- Served
- Overlapping golden discs from a baking dish
- Temperature
- hot
- Portion
- individual main or primo
- Pairs with
- green salad · roasted vegetables · as a primo before a meat course
Character
Flavour
Texture
soft, custardy inside with a golden gratin crust
Eaten
A comforting Roman home and trattoria dish, traditionally a Thursday meal, served as a primo or light main.
When
all-year · autumn · winter
Variations & related
Regional variations
- Classic Roman · Rome, Italy
Butter, parmesan and nutmeg
- Vatican Thursday dish · Vatican City
Served traditionally on Thursdays
Related dishes
- sibling Gnocchi di patate
Potato gnocchi, the more famous but different gnocchi
- ancestor Polenta
Shares the cooked-grain-into-firm-mass technique
Substitutions
Parmesan → Grana Padano or Pecorinoadmissible
Other hard Italian cheeses work
Butter → Olive oiladmissible
Possible but loses the classic buttery gratin character
Semolina → Potato (like potato gnocchi)inadmissible
Potato makes a completely different dish; semolina is non-negotiable here
Baking → Boiling like potato gnocchiinadmissible
These gnocchi are baked, not boiled; boiling them would dissolve the discs
Common mistakes
- Mistaking these for potato gnocchi and boiling them
- Not cooking the semolina thick enough, so the dough won't set and cut
- Cutting the discs while the dough is still warm and soft
- Skipping the butter-and-parmesan top, losing the golden gratin
Provenance
A classic dish of Roman cucina, made from semolina rather than potato, traditionally eaten on Thursdays.
Claimed by: Italy
References
- 1.Roman cucina tradition
- 2.Italian classic cookery
Confidence: high