Potato Gnocchi With Tomato Basil Sauce Recipes

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Wash the potatoes under cold running water and pat dry.
• Use a large knife and make a deep incision length-wise into each potato.
• Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake until they are tender, for about 1 hour.
• Let potatoes cool a little but do peel them while they are still a bit warm.
• Put them through a potato ricer. Alternately you can use a potato masher or a fork.
• Place the mashed potatoes in a large bowl.
• Add in the salt, 1 tablespoon of beaten egg and 1 and 1/2 cups of flour.
• Using your hands, mix well just until the flour and potatoes stick together forming a rough looking dough.
• Transfer the dough to a wooden board or work surface.
• Knead the dough lightly, gradually adding a little bit of the remaining flour if the dough is sticking too heavily on your work surface. (I did not need all of the remaining 1/2 cup more of flour)
• Knead for 2 to 3 minutes.
• The dough should be smooth, pliable and just a little bit sticky.
• Cut off a section of dough at a time.
• Roll the piece of dough with a back and forth motion until you get the thickness of your index finger.
• Cut the roll into 1 inch pieces.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• To shape the gnocchi, I used my little wooden gnocchi board with ridges.
• Alternately, you can use the back of a fork .
• Hold the fork at 45 degree angle, with the tines down on the work surface with its' inside curve towards you.
• Take a gnocchi role and press it with your index finger against the tip end of the fork while quickly sliding it up along the length of the fork tins.
• Or simply use your index and middle fingers by pressing both fingers down into the gnocchi and rolling quickly towards you. The gnocchi will flip over and have a pretty indentation.
• Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• Transfer the gnocchi on a lightly floured cookie sheet and cover with a clean dish towel.
• Set aside while you prepare the sauce.
• Heat the oil in a medium sauce pot over medium low heat and sauté the garlic with the crushed chilli pepper just until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic. (should take less then a minute).
• Add in the passata (Italian strained tomatoes), basil, salt and pepper and stir well.
• Fill the bottle of passata three quarters full with water. Give it a good swirl and add this to the sauce.
• Bring the sauce to a boil then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the sweet concentrated flavors of the tomatoes come through.
• While the sauce simmers, fill a large sauce pot with water and bring to a rapid boil.
• Add salt to the boiling water and then the gnocchi.
• Once the gnocchi come to surface they are pretty much ready. Leave them floating for about 10 seconds. (If they stay in the water too long, they will become mushy).
• Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place them on a serving platter.
• Pour a little of the sauce over the gnocchi, stir to combine then mix in the diced mozzarella.
• The heat of the tomato sauce will slowly melt the mozzarella.
• Divide the gnocchi onto four plates. Top with more sauce and Parmesan cheese.
• Serve while still hot.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes, and boil them until tender. Drain, and refrigerate overnight.
• Mash the potatoes well, or pass them through a ricer until smooth. Spread the potatoes on a flat surface, and make a well in the middle. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and pour them into the center of the well. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper. Stir slowly.
• While mixing, knead in the flour and the potatoes a little at a time. The dough should be moist but not sticky.
• On a floured work surface take one-fourth of the dough, and knead until it feels smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Roll the dough into a log approximately 1 inch thick. Cut the log into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Dust the pieces with flour. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• To give the dough the traditional gnocchi shape, place a piece of dough over the side of a cheese grater that has three or four long smile-shaped holes. Press the dough down over the hole, and gently roll it out to give it a shell shape. (This takes a few tries to get the technique.) Repeat with all the dough.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi all at once, and stir gently so they do not stick to the pot. When they are done they will float to the top. With a perforated spoon, remove them and serve immediately, or drop them into ice water until needed, then briefly reheat in boiling water.
• In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium flame and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is golden. Increase heat to high, and add all of the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes break open. Lower heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before the sauce is done, add the basil leaves, season with salt and pepper, and stir gently. Taste for seasonings and serve.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH HEIRLOOM BABY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the potatoes until cooked through, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the flesh and push the flesh through a tamis, food mill or ricer. Spread the riced potato flesh on a clean work surface. Season with salt and allow it to release its steam for 2 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and a generous pinch of salt.
• Sift the flour over the potatoes and mix gently with your hands, lifting and letting the potatoes fall through your fingers. Drizzle the egg yolk mixture over the potatoes. Mix the dough and knead briefly until homogeneous. Roll into a log and cut into manageable pieces. Cover with a towel.
• One piece at a time, roll until approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into individual pieces about 1 inch long. Shape the gnocchi using a fork or other pasta tool. Lay on a floured tray and reserve. Set aside 2 cups of the gnocchi for this recipe; use the remaining gnocchi immediately or freeze for later use (see Cook's Note).
• For the assembly: Fill a pot with water and season with salt; the water should taste like seasoned broth, not salty like the sea. Bring the water to a boil.
• Add the gnocchi to the boiling water. When they rise to the surface, cook for 1 to 2 more minutes.
• While the gnocchi are cooking, add the Heirloom Baby Tomato Sauce to a saute pan with some red pepper flakes if using and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add 3 ounces of the pasta water to the saute pan, then add the butter.
• Remove the gnocchi from the pot using a wire skimmer and add to the saute pan. (Note: You can also use a pasta basket or a perforated pan insert.) Toss the gnocchi in the pan to emulsify the butter and finish with some Parmesan and basil. Plate the gnocchi and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
• In a saute pan, heat the oil slightly. Add the garlic slices and saute for 30 seconds; there should be no color on the garlic. Add the tomatoes to the pan, season with a little salt and saute; the tomatoes will release their juices. Continue cooking until fairly dry. Add the basil and oregano and mix to incorporate. The sauce should be chunky, fresh looking and not too thin. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and red pepper flakes if needed.

GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine; cook until most liquid has evaporated. Add tomatoes and juice, tomato sauce, basil, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until slightly thick, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
• Bring a large pot water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt. Add half of the gnocchi; when they rise to the top (after about 2 minutes), continue to cook until tender, about 15 seconds more. Transfer gnocchi with a slotted spoon to pan with sauce. Repeat process with remaining gnocchi.
• Reheat gnocchi over low heat; gently toss. Serve with cheese shavings.

GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add passata and salt; simmer over low heat while you prepare the gnocchi.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float to the top, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Pour 1 ladle of tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Add gnocchi, remaining tomato sauce, and Parmesan cheese; toss to combine. Arrange cubes of mozzarella cheese evenly on top.
• Place baking dish in the oven and broil until mozzarella cheese is melted and sauce has slightly reduced, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with basil leaves before serving.