THE VOLUNTEER ACTIVIST - Be conscious, be responsible: another way to consumption: Food matters, Gnocchetti Sardi Receipe!

Dear friends,

It is very easy to go to a supermarket and buy things that we need for our meals.

Pasta is an essential and traditional part of Italian cuisine. In Italian families pasta is an ordinary meal and also in Spain it is common to eat pasta. However, we seldom stop to think about the negative impacts of consuming industrially produced pasta. In many ways, consumption of industrially produced pasta means wasting various resources: For example one only has to think about the plastic or cardboard used for packaging or about the mass production of wheat which enhances waste of water and energy. Also the use of pesticides and other chemicals have an overall negative impact on the quality of the final product which in turn directly affects the consumer.

AFAIJ wants to propose an easy and economical way to meet the daily consumption of this type of food which however is more eco-friendly, has an improved quality and uses genuine and of good quality ingredients: Pasta Fresca.

Here we present you a recipe of “Gnocchetti Sardi” (typical gnocchis of Cerdeña región) that differs from the rest of Italy by being prepared without potatoes.

How to make Gnocchetti?

Ingredients for 5 persons:

• 500g wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 150ml lukewarm water
• 10g salt
• 1 spoon of extra virgin oil olive

Make a heap of flour on the worktop, with a hole in the middle (like a volcano). Pour the eggs, and the extra virgin olive oil in the hole, and start to mix. Just add some flour of the 'mountain' to the 'lava' of the eggs, and stir with your finger. Use one hand to mix the dough, use the other hand to keep the eggs from breaking through and running all over the table. You could use a bowl and a spoon or whisk for the mixing, but this way is much more fun. Check the consistency of your dough (not too moist or dry). Clean the worktop, and wash and dry your hands.

Now knead the dough for at least ten minutes. Use both hands, and not just your fingers, but also the ball of your hand. Fold, knead and twist the dough until you get a supple, slightly elastic ball. Pack the dough in cotton cloth and let it rest for thirty minutes. Roll the dough into a thick salami and cut it into pieces. Keep them covered while you shape the gnocchetti. Roll each piece into a pencil-size snake (1 cm thick), then cut into 1 cm long pieces. Shape each small piece into a gnocchetto using a gnocchi board or other method. Place a piece of dough on the board, apply to it some pressure with either your thumb or your index finger and drag it on the board to curl it. The resulting gnocchetto will have grooves on the convex surface and a nice nook on the other side. Use your thumb, the board handle points towards you and the dragging motion is away from you. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then toss the gnocchetti in it (what in Italian we call: buttare giù la pasta). They will come to the surface as they cook. The time needed is a bit variable, depending on the size of the gnocchetti, how dry they are, etc.