Soft potato gnocchi tossed in tomato or a creamy sauce, eaten on the 29th of every month with money tucked under the plate for luck. An Italian-Argentine ritual as much as a dish.
On the 29th—payday still days away in lean months—Italian immigrants ate cheap potato gnocchi and slipped a coin under each plate as a wish for prosperity. One legend traces it to Saint Pantaleon, who blessed a poor family with gnocchi and gold coins. In Argentina the custom endures, half superstition, half family tradition.
The gnocchi are pillowy and tender, almost melting, with a gentle potato sweetness that soaks up whatever sauce coats them. In tomato they turn bright; in cream, lush and rich. Simple and homey, they carry the warmth of a monthly family gathering.
Baking or boiling potatoes whole keeps them dry so less flour is needed, and minimal flour with gentle mixing avoids developing gluten, giving light, tender gnocchi rather than dense, rubbery ones.
Variations
With creamy sauce or pesto, sweet-potato gnocchi, baked with cheese, with bolognese, ricotta gnocchi (gnudi)
On the Palate
Where Ñoquis del 29 sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 125 min
Boil potatoes whole in their skins until tender, then peel and mash smooth.
Watch outBoil the potatoes whole in their skins — cut them and they drink up water, which then needs more flour and gives you heavy gnocchi.
- 28 min
Spread the mash to cool, then mix with egg, salt and just enough flour to form a soft dough.
Watch outAdd just enough flour to barely hold a soft dough, and mix with a light hand — overwork it and the gnocchi turn rubbery.
- 36 min
Roll the dough into long ropes and cut into small pillows.
- 48 min
Press each piece against a fork or board to make ridges.
- 56 min
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- 64 min
Drop in the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface.
Watch outFish them out the second they bob to the surface — a moment too long and they go waterlogged and mushy.
- 71 min
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain.
- 83 min
Toss gently in warm tomato sauce and serve with grated cheese.
