Creative Cooking Italian Recipe
Alicia's Pictorial Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
Recipe Introduction
I picked this recipe on allrecipes.com because it had good ratings and it did not look too complicated.
Yield
Ingredients and Equipment
- 2 potatoes
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15.5 ounces)
- 1 dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 6 basil leaves, finely shredded
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into small chunks)
Special Equipment
- potato masher
Method
To get the meal done faster, it is better to work in a group. I my case, I worked in a group of 3 people. One person was responsible for the Gnocchi and two people worked on the Tomato Sauce.
- How to make the Tomato Sauce
- Heat Olive Oil in a saucepan over low heat
- Stir in garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute
- Pour in diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, cook for 10 minutes
- Stir in shredded basil and season with salt and pepper
- Add Mozzarella
The preparation time and cooking time combined equals about 40 minutes
2. How to make the Potato Gnocchi
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
- Peel potatoes, cut in fourth and add to pot
- Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes
- Drain, completely cool and mash with a potato masher or fork
- Combine 1 cup of mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl
- Knead until dough forms a ball
- Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes"
- On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces
- Optional: Fork the Gnocchi (For explanation look in "Comments" section)
- Drop Gnocchi into boiling water and cook until the Gnocchi have risen to the top
- Drain and Serve
Peeling the potatoes
Bringing salted water to a boil
Crush the garlic before mincing
Mincing the garlic
The shape of the cut Mozzarella
The can diced tomatoes
Cutting basil leaves
Cooking the garlic
How the garlic is not supposed to look like
Drain and let the cooked potatoes well
Tomato Sauce when done
Mixing dough for Gnocchi
Shape Gnocchi Dough
Forked Gnocchi
The Gnocchi float on top of the water when done
Add Sauce to Gnocchi and serve. Enjoy!
Comments
The original Gnocchi recipe does not tell you to cut the potatoes before boiling. To get them soft and firm faster, I suggest to cut them in fourths. It also safes energy.
To have a better appearance, it is nice to "fork" the Gnocchi before tossing it into the boiling water. How to fork: Start by positioning a dough segment on the back of a dinner fork; then slowly roll the segment down the length of the fork tines while simultaneously pressing lightly on the dough with your thumb to form a shallow indentation in the back. The resulting indentation and striation will help sauce cling to the Gnocchi. (http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/How-To-Roll-Gnocchi)