5.0 from 135 votes
Homemade Sardinian Gnocchi (malloreddus) in Lamb Broth.
This homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) cooked in lamb broth is a traditional recipe from the island of Sardinia. Typically, this would be a 2 in 1 recipe in which the meat and potatoes are served separately to the pasta and broth. However, it is great eaten as a hearty and filling one plate meal too. Plus a great way to use up leftover lamb. Of course, you can use other pasta instead of making your own.
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 476 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Mediterranean , Italian
Ingredients
For the Sardinian gnocchi
- 250 g Semolina flour (9oz)
- 100 ml warm water (3.3oz)
- 2 g salt (0.5 tsp)
For the lamb broth
- 1 kg meaty lamb neck bones (2.2lbs) or leg or shoulder joints or boneless shoulder/leg meat or shanks. Or leftover lamb from Easter or Sunday lunch.
- 2 carrots washed and cut into pieces
- 2 celery stalks washed and sliced
- 1 onion peeled and sliced
- 4 potatoes peeled and halved ( I used unpeeled new potatoes)
- 1 handful fresh parsley washed and chopped
- 1 prig fresh Rosemary washed and chopped or thyme or basil
- 2-3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- salt to taste
- 60 g Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino Romano (2oz) freshly grated
Instructions
Start the lamb broth
- Cut the meat into chunks if needed. Peel and slice the onion, wash and chop the carrots and celery, peel the potatoes and put them in a bowl of water until ready to use them. Wash the herbs. Cut the drained sun-dried tomatoes in half.
- Put the lamb, herbs and veggies (not the potatoes) into a deep pot and add enough cold water to just cover everything. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 1-1.5 hours. Check occasionally if you need to skim any fat from the top.
Cup of Yum
Make the Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus)
- Sift the flour into a mound on a pastry board and form a well in the middle. Dissolve the salt in the warm water and then add the water a little at a time to the centre of the well. Using a fork or scraper, slowly start to incorporate the water into the flour to form a rough dough. Add a little more water if the dough is too dry or a dusting of flour if it is too wet. (You can do this first part in a bowl)
- Knead the dough until it springs back when you press a finger into it, about 10 minutes. It should be quite smooth and pliable and not tacky. Roll the dough into a ball, wrapi it in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30-60 minutes.
- Cut off a piece of the dough and roll it into a 1-2cm-thick snake (.4-.7 of an inch). Cut the snake into 1-2cm pieces. Press one piece of dough at a time firmly with your thumb against a gnocchi board or the back tines of a fork and roll the dough down the board to create a shell shape with ridges. Continue with the remaining dough, dusting the pasta and board with semolina flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Place your ready Sardinian gnocchi on a floured tray or tea towel until you are ready to use them.
Finish the broth and cook the pasta.
- Add the potatoes and some salt to the broth and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes until the meat falls off the bone and the potatoes are cooked. If the meat isn’t soft enough, remove the potatoes and continue cooking a bit longer.
- Once the meat is ready, remove it and the potatoes from the broth. If necessary, remove the meat from the bones and shred it. Bring the broth to a boil again and add your malloreddus. Fresh pasta doesn’t take so long to cook (5-10 minutes) but it depends on how thick/big it is. Test taste before turning off the heat.
- Put some of the shredded lamb meat into individual bowls and add some pasta, veggies and broth. Top with a generous sprinkling of grated pecorino and serve immediately.
- Serve the rest of the meat and potatoes as a main course or a separate meal the following day.
Notes
- You can use dried malloreddus or other small pasta shapes instead of making your own Sardinian gnocchi. In Sardinia, they also use fregola in this recipe.
- Nutrition and calories can be divided into 2 dishes per person.
Nutrition Information
Calories
476kcal
(24%)
Carbohydrates
92g
(31%)
Protein
16g
(32%)
Fat
5g
(8%)
Saturated Fat
3g
(15%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.5g
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
Cholesterol
16mg
(5%)
Sodium
413mg
(17%)
Potassium
1160mg
(33%)
Fiber
8g
(32%)
Sugar
5g
(10%)
Vitamin A
5265IU
(105%)
Vitamin C
48mg
(53%)
Calcium
214mg
(21%)
Iron
5mg
(28%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 476
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 476kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 92g | 31% |
| Protein | 16g | 32% |
| Fat | 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 16mg | 5% |
| Sodium | 413mg | 17% |
| Potassium | 1160mg | 25% |
| Fiber | 8g | 32% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 5265IU | 105% |
| Vitamin C | 48mg | 53% |
| Calcium | 214mg | 21% |
| Iron | 5mg | 28% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.