As you probably know, today is Thanksgiving in the United States. My turkey has been brined and is in the oven, and my sour cream apple pies are begging me to eat them. I have fourteen people coming to eat at my house. Five of them arrived a few nights ago. My dad, his partner, and their friend Doug are here. They brought with them Elsa and Aaron from Argentina, where my dad lived for two years as a young missionary. I’ve been practicing my limited Spanish and my dad has been translating. We’ve been talking about family history, literature, and politics. Later, Aaron is going to play chess with my daughter, who is just learning and is fascinated by the game. He is a chess master and a retired lawyer. His wife, Elsa, is a warm, happy person who has been told by her grandchildren that she is not a “normal” grandmother because she’s too fun. I agree. My two-year-old has already started calling her grandma.
Last night, Elsa treated us to homemade gnocchi. In Argentina, they spell it “ñoqui.” I don’t care how it’s spelled; it’s delicious! Here’s how you make it.
Boil white potatoes, and then mash them with salt and pepper. Mix them with flour as needed to shape them into long pasta-like strands on a floured surface.

Here’s a picture of my brother-in-law David trying out his gnocchi-making technique.
Once the long strands are made, cut them into little nuggets.
Once they are cut, boil them for a few minutes. My dad explained that a traditional method is to first pierce them in the center with a fork, to make a little groove for sauce. Elsa said that this was not necessary.
Here’s what they looked like before we boiled them.
After she boiled them, Elsa served them with tomato sauce. She offered to make it herself, but we decided to save time by using good, old Prego. She mixed the Prego with some water and cream before mixing it with the gnocchi. It turned out delicioso!
We all enjoyed this tasty, Italian dish. Elsa told us, “Mangia, Mangia che te fa bene,” which means in Italian, “Eat, eat that it will do you good.”
We did.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Delicious!
Mmm hmm! 🙂
I both am Italian and lived in Argentina…..So imagine what gnocchi or noquis mean to me!
Fantastic takes and, needless to say,fantastic blog!
Happy Thanksgiving !
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving! Looks like alot of fun!
Thank you!
I have recently discovered store-bought gnocchi and we loved it. But we still don’t know how to say it. Please tell us, if you would.
I will try to explain how to say it. N-yo-key
great post! nothing warms the heart like a family reunion, a gathering around the table.
I am Argentinian, and now that I see your pics I crave for ñoquis. They look yummy! I think they are probably one of the greatest things we received from the Italian.
qué ricos ñoquis, parece que salieron buenos!
by the way, the “ñ” or “gn” sound is quite similar to the “n+iu” in millenium, if you make the last syllable as short as possible.
How cool it must be to spend a thanksgiving meal with ethnic food! thanks for sharing! =)
It has been fun to share this holiday with our guests. I love learning about other cultures and just feeling that we really are all the same, or human, despite cultural or national or political differences.
Hello Emily! I have not been by your blog in a while and am glad I remembered to stop by and say hello. I was just reading about gnocchi in a cookbook the other week. I will have to make this over the holidays or shortly after. Thank you for the pictures–they help elucidate the rolling concept.
You’re welcome. I’m glad you came back! 🙂 Let me know how your gnocchi turn out. I have yet to do it myself. I can’t wait!
My Sicilian mother just made gnocci! Your photos made me yearn for more! Bella!
How wonderful! Thanks for reading.