Knowing how to make your own gnocchi and pizza dough is a priceless kitchen skill. These two Italian basics are inexpensive, endlessly adaptable and perfect for using up whatever's in the fridge. By Alice Taylor
I’ve been in Italy for the past few weeks and have been a (very happy) sponge, soaking up all the lessons of Italian cooking.
In my last column I talked about how Italian cooking relies on fewer ingredients and how that naturally keeps costs down. This week I had another little epiphany: in Italy, the expensive ingredient is very rarely the centrepiece.
Instead, meals are built around affordable staples like pasta, bread, gnocchi, rice or pizza dough. Meat, cheese and cured meats are used more sparingly. They add flavour and richness, but they're seldom the main event. And honestly, it makes a lot of sense.
I’ve noticed that even when Italians eat meat, for example, the portions are often much smaller than those many of us are used to in New Zealand. Cheese is used thoughtfully rather than excessively. Meals still feel generous and satisfying because they're built on comforting, affordable foundations.
There’s something very smart about that approach, especially while grocery prices are still painfully high. If you can master a few cheap and versatile bases, you can stretch expensive ingredients much further while still making meals that feel delicious and abundant.
So, this week I’m sharing two of my favourite affordable bases: gnocchi and pizza dough.
Both are inexpensive to make, endlessly adaptable and perfect for using up whatever happens to be sitting in the fridge. And because the base costs so little, you can justify adding something slightly luxurious on top if you want to. Good cheese, proper salami, fresh herbs or even a nice bottle of wine – expensive ingredients feel more attainable when you use them sparingly.
Recipe: Gnocchi
There’s one important ratio to remember for gnocchi: 1kg potatoes, 300g flour
Once you know that, you barely need a recipe.
METHOD
Place whole potatoes, skin on, into a pot and cover with cold water. Choose a floury potato if you can. Agria potatoes are my favourite.
Add a generous pinch of salt to the water and bring to the boil. Leaving the skins on helps stop the potatoes absorbing too much water, which keeps the dough lighter and easier to work with.
Cook until the potatoes are tender enough that a knife or skewer slides in easily. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
Peel away the skins using a small knife. They should come off relatively easily.
Mash the potatoes thoroughly with a fork, masher or potato ricer if you have one. Then leave the potato to cool completely before adding flour.
Weigh the potato and calculate the flour using the ratio above. I usually make a half batch using 500g mashed potato and 150g flour.
Bring the flour and potato together gently on a bench and knead just until a dough forms. Don’t overwork it or the gnocchi can become gluey and heavy.
Cover and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into pieces, roll into logs and cut into bite-sized pieces. I usually aim for pieces about 1.5cm wide, but perfection really isn’t necessary.
Boil the gnocchi in salted water. Once they float to the surface, they’re done. Leave them too long and they’ll begin to break apart.
Serve with whatever you like. Ragù, tomato sauce, pesto, brown butter or simply olive oil and parmesan all work beautifully.
Recipe: Pizza Dough
I love making pizza dough at home for two reasons. First, I never seem to have pre-made pizza bases in the fridge. Second, homemade pizza is still dramatically cheaper than ordering takeaway.
This recipe is also wonderfully versatile. Technically it’s pizza dough, but I’ve used it for flatbreads, scrolls and all sorts of improvised baking projects.
It’s also super fast. The whole thing can be done in under an hour, which in pizza terms feels almost miraculous.
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
350g plain flour
225ml lukewarm water
6g dried yeast (about 1½ tsp), dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
For the toppings
1 can crushed tomatoes mixed with a pinch of salt
Cheese, vegetables, salami, ham or whatever needs using up in the fridge
METHOD
In a bowl, combine the flour, lukewarm water, dissolved yeast, salt and oil.
Mix until a sticky dough forms, then knead briefly for about one minute.
Cover and leave to proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Oil a baking tray and gently stretch or press the dough out to fit. You can make one large tray pizza or divide the dough into two smaller pizzas.
Spread the crushed tomatoes over the dough and leave it to proof again for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Bake the dough with just the tomato sauce for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, add your toppings and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes until golden and bubbling.
TIPS
- The dough is supposed to be sticky. Resist the urge to add lots of extra flour.
- Two proofs make a huge difference to the texture.
- Pre-baking the base with the tomato sauce helps stop soggy pizza.
- Leftover roasted vegetables, odds and ends of cheese or small amounts of cooked meat work perfectly here.
Chef Alice Taylor posts cooking videos as @alicetayloreats on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
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