Gnocchi, a type of Italian dumpling, reminds me of light puffy clouds.

These dumplings are usually made with cooked potatoes, flour and possibly an egg. They are rolled into long ropes, cut into the little cloud-like dumplings and boiled. Sounds simple, right? Not so. Even the most experienced Italian cooks say that gnocchi can be tricky to make. Sometimes those light clouds can turn into tough, rubbery balls.

Perhaps an easier way of making gnocchi is purchasing packages of the dumplings in the supermarket. Ready-made gnocchi can be found in the refrigerated section, freezer or in the pasta aisle. I prefer the refrigerated gnocchi if I can find it because it seems lighter.

Gnocchi, which also can be made of sweet potatoes, spinach, pumpkin, ricotta cheese and the like, can be used for appetizers, entrees with a variety of sauces, or soups. Doris Harwell of Bradenton wants to use the dumplings for soup and enlisted readers’ help to find a recipe similar to Olive Garden’s gnocchi potato soup.

“I bought a box of gnocchi and thought it would have the recipe on it, but it didn’t,” she said.

Readers, once again, have plenty of recipes for her to try.

“I cracked this recipe after many tries. This is as close as possible to the official Olive Garden recipe,” Russell Thogode said.

CHICKEN GNOCCHI

2 tablespoons butter

3- cups chicken broth

4 cups chopped uncooked chicken meat

1 pound package of gnocchi

Simmer above ingredients in a slow cooker until chicken is fully cooked, then add:

1 cup half and half

1 teaspoon salt

teaspoon pepper

teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups low-fat milk

1 teaspoon oregano

cup flour

1- cups spinach

cup finely grated carrot

Slow cook for 6 hours.

Submitted by Russell Thogode

“This is the recipe that I use for chicken gnocchi soup,” said Johnny Hughes. “I use all fresh ingredients except I use leftover chicken (usually from my smoker) or I will buy a rotisserie chicken. I like the soup and have been told by many that it is better than the Olive Garden’s. You can get gnocchi at Rouse’s or make your own. The rotisserie chicken and store-bought gnocchi do save a lot of time. “

CHICKEN GNOCCHI

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I use a whole rotisserie chicken)

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 quart half and half

1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth

cup celery, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup carrots, finely shredded

1 cup onion, finely diced

1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)

teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons fresh Italian (flat leaf parsley)

1 pound potato gnocchi

Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat. When the onion becomes translucent, add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Add the carrots and chicken to the roux.

Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach and seasonings and simmer until soup is heated through. Makes a lot of soup, I usually serve 4-6 people with seconds.

Submitted by Johnny Hughes

Pat Kerstetter of Gautier, Miss., calls this her copycat recipe. This is not to be confused with Copykat.com’s Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. Kerstetter’s is different.

COPYCAT OLIVE GARDENCHICKEN & GNOCCHI SOUP

cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

cup flour

cup shredded carrots

1 stick celery, chopped

cup fresh chopped spinach

2- cups milk

1- cups heavy cream

3 chicken bouillon cubes

Salt and pepper to taste

17 ounces pre-made gnocchi (better if you use homemade)

Using a large pot, cook chicken and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until cooked through. Stir in flour and mix well until the flour is cooked into the chicken. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the gnocchi. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add gnocchi and cook for 3-4 more minutes until cooked through.

Submitted by Pat Kerstetter,

“Go to www.food.com and search for Olive Garden Style Chicken and Gnocchi Soup,” said Jerry Gutzweiler of Bradenton. “It is excellent as is, but I slightly modified it as follows: Saute chicken breasts before dicing. Use 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Slightly cook and drain gnocchi before adding. Lastly, add cream and cornstarch so as not to overheat the cream. It tends to curdle if it gets too hot.”

Here is the recipe from www.food.com:

OLIVE GARDEN-STYLE CHICKEN AND GNOCCHI SOUP

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups half-and-half

1 stalk celery, diced

1 garlic clove, chopped

 carrot, shredded 

 onion, diced

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon thyme

Salt and pepper

16 ounces potato gnocchi

1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)

Saute the onion, celery, garlic, carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted. For thicker soup, bring to a boil and add cornstarch dissolved in 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Ladle into bowls and serve.

From www.food.com

For those who want to make their own gnocchi, here’s a basic recipe from “How To Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman, which was published in 1998.

GNOCCHI

1-pound baking potatoes, whole and unpeeled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

About 1 cup flour

Wash the potatoes and put them in a pot with salted water to cover. Cook until they are very tender, 30-45 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and peel them while they are hot. Use a potholder to hold them. Put them through a ricer or mash them with a fork or potato masher; do not use a food mill or food processor. Place the riced potatoes in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

Stir about cup flour into the bowl with the potatoes, and keep adding the flour until the mixture forms an easy-to-handle dough. The amount of flour you add will depend on the potatoes. Not enough flour will make gnocchi fall apart; more will make them firm and light; too much will rob them of flavor. Knead for a minute or so on a lightly floured surface.

If this is the first time you have made gnocchi, pinch off a piece of the dough and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape. If it does not, knead in a bit more flour.

Break off a piece of the dough and roll into a rope about -inch thick. Cut the snake into [ ]- to 1-inch lengths. As you finish, place the gnocchi on a piece of waxed paper or a lightly floured baking sheet or similar surface, in one layer.

Gently transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water, a few at a time. Stir gently. The gnocchi are done about a minute after they rise to the surface, which will happen very quickly; remove them with a slotted spoon as they finish cooking.

“How to Cook Everything”

‘Go-to’ favorite

“I have been a reader of yours, but do not recall seeing this recipe,” said Joe Nahlik of Saucier, Miss. “It is one of my favorite dishes fast, easy and economical. This takes 30 minutes or less.”

COTTAGE CHEESE AND NOODLES

1 (12-16-ounce) package wide egg noodles

1 large carton cottage cheese

pint sour cream

to [ ] pound sliced bacon (I like the peppered bacon)

Start water to cook noodles, according to directions on package. Slice bacon into 1-inch pieces. Start frying bacon in skillet.

Put noodles into boiling water. When cooked, drain noodles and put in large bowl. After bacon is fried, put on top of noodles. Add cottage cheese and sour cream. Mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

Submitted by Joe Nahlik

Scottish recipes, please

The official Tartan Day for the United States is April 6, and Day Lander of Moss Point, Miss., thinks this would be a perfect time for some good Scottish recipes.

Readers, please send me those recipes to share for official Tartan Day.

Andrea Yeager, a freelance writer, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net. Send contributions or requests to Cook’s Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.