Homemade Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Gnocchi

1. 1
   Cook the potatoes in their skins until completely tender.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Peel while hot and pass through a ricer into a smooth mash.

   PeelerMasher
3. 3
   Let cool a little, then add the flour, egg, salt and nutmeg and knead gently, just until the dough is no longer sticky.

   💡Knead little and use as little flour as possible: overkneaded dough makes tough, rubbery gnocchi.
4. 4
   Roll into ropes, cut into pillows of about 2 cm and press each one with the back of a fork.

   Knife
5. 5
   Cook in boiling salted water until the gnocchi float, then 30 seconds more, and lift out with a slotted spoon.

   ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePotSlotted spoon

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.

For the Tomato sauce

1. 6
   In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and black pepper with the salt.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 7
   Add and fry 3 minutes, until the peppers soften.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 8
   Add and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

To assemble

1. 9
   Transfer the gnocchi straight into the sauce, add the basil, stir gently and serve immediately.

   💡Gnocchi are delicate: toss them in the sauce gently and only for a minute or two, or they fall apart.