Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
What you'll need
Gnocchi dough:
3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 extra large egg
A little sea salt
Sauce:
¼ cup Italian extra virgin olive oil
½ chopped onion
1 can of " San Marzano " whole peeled tomatoes
5 leaves of Basil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
To finish the dish:
20 leaves of fresh basil
1 cup of fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Click through for the Saccone's instructions for putting it all together.
What you'll do:
To make the sauce:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
To make the gnocchi:
At the same time, place the potatoes in a large pot and just cover with cold water. Boil the potatoes until they are soft, about 45 minutes. While still warm, peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer.
Make a crater in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle with the flour. Place the egg and salt in the center of the crater. Using a fork, gently beat the egg into the flour and potatoes. Mix the dough together, kneading it slowly until a ball is formed and the dough is dry to the touch. Roll the dough out into snakes about as thick as your finger, cut the snakes into one-inch pieces and place it on a well floured board.
To bring it all together:
Boil the gnocchi in salted hot water for a couple minutes (they are ready when they come afloat). Drain them. Place the gnocchi with the tomato sauce and parmigiano cheese in a pan, cover them with the cubed mozzarella , more tomato sauce, parmigiano and fresh basil leaves.
Saccone remmonds you enjoy the Gnocchi alla Sorrentina hot and fresh. Don't feel like perfecting gnocchi yourself? Check out the pasta nights at Cibo on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
This is our third installment of Chef Chat with Saccone. Check out parts one and two to hear more about Saccone's personal life and pasta obsession.
