30 mins
Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
Recipe by Graham
Gnocchi is an Italian dish of little dumplings made from potatoes and flour. This simple potato, flour, and basil recipe is one my family has used for many years.
Making Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce is a way of using up ingredients if you have (for example) followed my recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes and then used the inside of the tomatoes to make a Fresh Tomato Sauce, because you can use that sauce with your gnocchi.
Meanwhile, to make the gnocchi, be sure to use waxy potatoes (like Charlotte or Maris Peer) if possible. Waxy potatoes are translucent and feel moist and pasty. They are good at staying firm and keeping their shape so they make great salad potatoes. Floury potatoes (like Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree) are brighter and more granular in appearance with a drier feel. They're better for dishes where you want fluffy potatoes or for mash.
Barbecue Ribs 
Béarnaise Sauce Ingredients for Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
- Begin by making the sauce. Place the chopped tomatoes in a pan, then half fill the can with water and add that to the pan. Peel and finely chop the shallot and the garlic. Stir in the shallot, garlic, rosemary (or thyme) and salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently for at least one hour until it has thickened and is coloured dark red.
- Peel the potatoes and make Mashed Potatoes according to the recipe. Important: be sure to mash them well because lumps will be noticeable in the gnocchi, so mash the potatoes thoroughly to as smooth a texture as possible.
- Finely chop the basil leaves then sprinkle them over the potatoes. Add plenty of salt and freshly-ground pepper, then add the flour. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, bring the mixture together to make a firm dough.
- Using your hands (and knuckles) knead the dough gently for a couple of minutes then, on a flat surface, roll it out into sausage shapes about ½" (1cm) thick. Cut the gnocchi 'sausages' into 1" (2.5cm) lengths.
- Gently cook the gnocchi in a pan of simmering water for between one and two minutes until they rise to the surface, then scoop them out as they rise. Toss into the finished tomato sauce and serve straight away with crisp rocket leaves.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
The gnocchi is equally delicious with Cheese Sauce. I confess, I sometimes perch an egg on top, too!!!
Reviews of Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
 April 12 2014Hot tip - after I knead the dough, I put it in an icing bag, squeeze it straight into the boiling water, cutting it into lengths as I squeeze. Great recipe! bedlynn (7 reviews) |
December 18 2013 The recipe says to boil the potatoes until they are tender but still firm and I think that may be a little misleading for us first-timers. I thought my potatoes were like that, but they didn't blend very well into the flour mixture. Because of this, I couldn't form the dough "snakes" very well. But it still tasted good in the end. I think that I'll just boil the potatoes much longer next time. Doucette (3 reviews) |
 April 30 2013A great, basic gnocchi recipe. I like my gnocchi served with some oregano, basil, and black pepper. I have a theory about how much flour this recipe needs: It depends on how much water the potatoes absorb during cooking. If you boil them whole, they'll absorb a fair bit of water; if you boil them in chunks, they'll absorb even more. If you steam them, they'll absorb less, and if you microwave them, they'll absorb none at all. My suggestion: Start with one cup of flour and add more to the potato mixture as you knead it until the dough is dry to the touch (but not so dry that it crumbles). My experience is that two pounds of potatoes will take about a cup and a half of flour. Linda (2 reviews) |
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