Gnocchi with Marinara Sauce

Surprisingly easy to make, and just as delicious to eat. When you make your own dough, you can freeze some for later and have fresh gnocchi again a whole lot easier the second time. The key to making gnocchi is the mashing of the potatoes; I bought a $40 ricer specifically for this, and it works great. There are more expensive ones, but for beginner ‘ricers’, this one works just fine. A ricer is basically a big giant garlic press; it gives you mashed potatoes with no lumps! I love this thing, I use it for just mashed potatoes now too, and there are 100’s of other uses to discover. I highly recommend the purchase of a ricer!

There are a couple varieties of gnocchi but this is probably the simplest to make. This is the potato variety, and the sauce was a simple marinara sauce that was delicious. The original recipe can be found here at Bev Cooks

Gnocchi

Ingredients:

2-3 russet potatoes

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

Large pinch of salt

Method:

Wash and peel your potatoes then cut them up; the smaller they are, the faster they cook. Boil them until tender, or a fork easily passes through them. Drain the water, and using a ricer, mash your potatoes. If you don’t have a ricer I recommend using a hand mixer and passing them through a sieve, but if all you have is a potato masher, you’ll get a great arm workout! These other methods are a bit more time consuming, but just as effective at removing lumps. Place flour and potatoes on a clean work surface and make a well. Crack the egg into the well and add the salt. Start mixing with a fork, or your hands if you don’t mind getting messy, and mix until well combined. The dough will be smooth & elastic-y. Add more flour if the mixture is too sticky. Take chunks of dough and using your hand, roll into a long thin strip, about 1/2″ thick. Cut with a knife into desired size, about 1/2″ wide again. Dust with flour to prevent sticking to one another.

Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil and cook your gnocchi in batches. When the gnocchi is ready it will float to the surface; using a slotted spoon or a spider spoon, remove from water. If you like a crispy outside like me, add to some butter in a satay pan and crisp up the outsides to a nice golden brown. Serve hot!!

Marinara

Ingredients:

5-6 fresh tomatoes, I used vine ripened but whatever variety is your favourite will be fine. I might suggest heirloom or roma as they tend to be the most flavourful.

3 cloves garlic, sliced

4 T olive oil, divided

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh basil

Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut your tomatoes into quarters and toss with garlic, salt, pepper, and 2 T of olive oil. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until skins are blistered and cracked. Remove skins and mash in a large pot. Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil. Let simmer over medium low heat stirring frequently and reduce to desired thickness. Add gnocchi to sauce first??? Pour sauce over gnocchi, garnish with a few basil leaves and parmesan cheese, and serve!