Region: Unknown

Easy to prepare using a few and simple ingredients, this is a simple and inexpensive, but delicious dish.
There are many ways to prepare Gnocchi because it’s a very versatile dish, like spaghetti, and can be accompanied by many different sauces. Try gnocchi with “pesto sauce” or “ragù di carne”, etc. Here we will focus on the traditional potatoes gnocchi with tomatoes sauce.

Servings: 6 people
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:

2 1⁄4 lb of old floury such as russet potatoes (if fresh store them for about 2 weeks in a cool place)
2 cups all-purpose flour, but keep some extra as needed for the work surface
salt as needed
pepper as needed
1 large egg
tomato sauce as needed
1 teaspoon of sugar to reduce the acidity from the sauce
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion thinly chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
Few basil leaves
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water, bring the water to boiling temperature and add a little salt. Wash the potatoes, put them in the boiling water and let them cook for about 12 minutes. The potatoes should be ready when the skin starts showing some cracks. To make sure they are ready, try to prick the potatoes with a fork and if you do not find any resistance, then the potatoes are ready. Once the potatoes are finally cooked, take them out of the water and Peel them while still hot. Once the potatoes are pealed, pass them through a potatoes masher and leave the mash potatoes to cool down for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the working surface with a light layer of flower to avoid the mashed potatoes to stick to it. Put all the mashed potatoes on the working surface and form a well in the middle, then sprinkle some flower over the mashed potatoes. In a small bowl whisk the egg and gradually blend the egg with the mashed potato mixture.
Mix the dough with your hands and add more flour as needed. Knead the mixture for no more than 5-7 minutes, the right consistency
of the dough should be smooth and elastic, moist but not sticky.
At this point sprinkle again the working surface with a light layer of flower, divide the dough into 6 pieces, roll each piece to make long sausage-like strips about 3⁄4 inch thick and cut each strip into pieces about 1″ long. Gently roll each piece on a fork or on a gnocchi ridger to give the final gnocchi look.
The gnocchi should be laid onto the previously sprinkled with flower working surface and separated.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil sauté the onion thinly chopped and cook until translucent and softened, then add the chopped garlic and wait until it becomes slightly golden (mix sporadically and don’t let it stick). At this point add the tomato sauce, the salt and pepper as needed and mix, then add 1 teaspoon of sugar to reduce the acidity from the sauce and a few basil leaves and cook at low heat for about 10 minutes or until the sauce becomes more dense. Stir, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Keep warm.

With the sauce still hot, now is time to cook the gnocchi. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and gently put the gnocchi into the pot (a little at a time or they will attach) and let them cook. The gnocchi will be cooked when they start floating (about 3 to 5 minutes). Leave them to float for a further 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the skillet with the sauce and sauté at medium heat for a few minutes. Make sure to mix everything gently so that the gnocchi will not break. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately. Buon appetito!

Suggestions:

The leftover gnocchi can also be frozen and be ready for the next time you have guest. Put the gnocchi already with the topping into a large baking pan, sprinkle the gnocchi with Parmesan cheese and let them cool down. Cover the baking pan with the gnocchi and store them in the freezer (you can store them for 3 months). The night before serving move the pan with gnocchi into the refrigerator, then put them in the oven and serve.