Gnocchi with Sorrentine sauce
4 servings
120 minutes
Gnocchi with Sorrento-style sauce is a true embodiment of Italian comfort and warmth. Hailing from the sunny region of Campania, this recipe combines airy potato gnocchi with rich tomato sauce, fragrant basil, and tender mozzarella. Traditionally baked to a golden hue when the cheese melts into a deliciously gooey crust, gnocchi have a soft, velvety texture. The combination of tangy tomato sauce, creamy parmesan, and fresh basil creates a harmonious and balanced flavor. This dish is perfect for cozy family dinners that transport you to the atmosphere of an Italian trattoria where simplicity and rich taste are cherished. Serve gnocchi hot and enjoy their melt-in-your-mouth consistency and rich aroma.
1
Pour a couple of handfuls of regular rock salt onto the baking sheet, spreading it out to cover the sheet evenly. On this salt 'pillow', place the potatoes and bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for one to one and a half hours (depending on the size of the potatoes). The salt is necessary to absorb all excess moisture from the potatoes — this way, the dough will be porous and airy, and the gnocchi will melt in your mouth.
- Potato: 1 kg
2
Peel the cooked potatoes (they should still be hot!). Then pass them through a sieve or grate them on a fine grater.
- Potato: 1 kg
3
Dust the work surface with flour and lay out the potatoes. Add eggs, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Start kneading the dough while gradually adding flour. The less flour you add, the more porous and airy the dough will be. So start with small portions and add as needed. The dough should be firm but soft. It's okay if the dough seems sticky — it's better to under-add flour than to over-add it and make the gnocchi rubbery.
- Wheat flour: 250 g
- Potato: 1 kg
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Nutmeg: pinch
4
Roll the dough to a thickness of 1.5 cm, cut into strips 2 cm wide, and roll each into a 'sausage'.
- Wheat flour: 250 g
5
Cut the sausages into small pieces and roll them between your palms to form a cylindrical shape. In principle, both the shape and size can be anything. You can also make notches (by rolling the dough ball on the back of a fork), but this takes extra time, and the benefit in sauce absorption is not significant.
6
Drop the ready gnocchi in portions into boiling water, slowly count to ten (i.e., about 30 seconds), and then immediately remove.
7
Grease the bottom of the baking dish with passata. Layer with gnocchi, drizzle with tomato sauce again, and sprinkle with chopped mozzarella and grated parmesan.
- Tomato paste: 1 jar
- Mozzarella cheese: 300 g
- Parmesan cheese: 100 g
8
Again sauce, gnocchi, mozzarella, parmesan; alternate until layers are finished. On top should be gnocchi with pieces of mozzarella. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes (until mozzarella melts).
- Tomato paste: 1 jar
- Mozzarella cheese: 300 g
- Parmesan cheese: 100 g
9
Garnish with basil leaves and serve.
- Basil: 5 piece