That's right, this week I decided to go all out and make gnocchi and tomato sauce from scratch. Meaning I started with about 3 lbs of potato and ten ripe vine tomatoes. It took much of my day, but with long periods in between when I could do other chores around the house. And, in the end, it was fully worth it. The sauce and gnocchi were fresh and light, clearly demonstrating my hard work. The gnocchi was light and fluffy; the sauce savory and delicately flavored with all of the ingredients blending together through the long simmering process. Definitely a success.Read through the full recipe and start this around lunch time to be done in time for dinner! But, do not despair. Many of the hours are letting your tomato sauce simmer quietly, so as long as you are in the house to keep an eye on it you do not have to stay a slave to your stove. Read a book, watch a movie, do laundry, etc. Just... plan ahead or you'll be eating at 2 AM :)
Tomato Sauce
You'll want to get started with this first since it takes a loooooooong time. (Not that the gnocchi are fast.) I'd like to give credit to this recipe for providing a base for mine, but I am going to type up my entire recipe below since it varies a fair amount. I'm also trying out a new format - let me know if it works for you!
Ingredients:
10 ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/8 c. fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c. red cooking wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 small can tomato paste
To start, you'll want to bring a large pot of water to a boil. I'm talking about your giant several gallon pot here! Drop the tomatoes, whole, into the boiling water and let them boil for 2-3 minutes or until the tomato skin begins to peel. Remove and place them in a bath of ice water until they are cool enough to hold. Chop 8 of the tomatoes into quarters and puree them in a food processor. Dice the remaining 2 tomatoes.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. I know this sounds like a lot of olive oil, far more than I typically advocate, and you can use a bit less if you desire. However, since I was making so much tomato sauce I thought I'd spring for a little more. As well as being good for sauteing, olive oil actually does add a flavor of its own. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring to avoid burning/sticking. Add the fresh basil, oregano, and two diced tomatoes. Continue to stir somewhat frequently and saute another 5 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, seasonings, and wine. Stir until its well combined. Add the bay leaf. Bring the sauce to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for two hours. During this time I stirred every 20 minutes or so to keep an eye on the sauce but you can essentially just let it go.
After two hours stir in the tomato paste until it is well blended, cover, and let the sauce simmer for an additional two hours. Remove the bay leaf and it's ready to serve!
Potato Gnocchi
The gnocchi recipe came nearly entirely from here but because it is not exact, I'll follow the lead from above and type it up.
Start this recipe when your sauce has been simmering for just 1 hr (3 hrs to go) so that all of your food is done at roughly the same time.
Ingredients:
3 lbs potatoes
1 1/4 c. flour
2 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp. salt
To start, use a fork to make some prong marks in the potatoes and bake them for 1.5 hours at 400 degrees.
After the potatoes have cooled enough to touch, cut them in half and scoop out the potato. You can discard the skins. Mash the potatoes in a large bowl until all of the chunks are gone. Add 1 cup of flour, the egg yolks, and the pinch of salt and mix together well. I found this easiest to do with my hands rather than a spoon. Add some more flour, just a little at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky. (It will be slightly sticky, or tacky, still but it will not be actively sticking to your hands.)
Divide the dough into six balls. Shape each one into a long rope that is about 3/4 inch in diameter, or even a little less. (The dough expands when it is boiled.) Cut the ropes every inch so you have lots of little pieces. Roll them into a ball. You can use a fork to give gnocchi its requisite lines, but I decided to forgo that practice and just have ball-shaped, line-less gnocchi! It tastes the same and is far less work.
Boil water in a giant pot. Once the water is boiling add some gnocchi and boil for 3 minutes. At that point, the gnocchi should have risen to the surface. Remove from the pan. I had to boil in 3 shifts to accommodate all of my gnocchi but because they boil so quickly it's not a problem.
Once the gnocchi is cooked mix it with the sauce and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover the gnocchi for 5 minutes and the cheese will melt. Enjoy this incredibly fresh meal while it's warm!
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