I was given this recipe by my Italian teacher when I was in Florence in the 1990s. It’s interesting because of its fluffy gnocchi and the soft flavours of the sauce which has neither garlic nor chilli. Prepare the sauce in advance as there won’t be time once the gnocchi cooking starts! The cooked radicchio or rocket adds a lovely bitter undertone – Miccal
recipe
Makes 6 entrees or 3 mains
Pomorola Sauce
1 medium Spanish onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red capsicum
3 fresh ripe Roma tomatoes
1 large carrot, peeled
2 sticks celery, washed
100mls white wine
250mls vegetable or chicken stock
½ tsp pepper
6 – 8 basil leaves
Remove the inner spines and seed from the capsicum. Quarter the tomatoes, remove and discard the seeds.
Chop the capsicum, tomato, carrot and celery roughly and set aside
Peel the onion, dice and fry in the olive oil in a hot pan until it starts to brown
Add the chopped vegies, wine, water, pepper, basil and a little salt, bring to the boil
Simmer for 45 minutes, covered, on a low flame until beginning to reduce
Puree in a blender or through a moulis and season to taste
Gnocchi
300g desirée potatoes
200g firm ricotta
2 eggs
80g grated parmesan cheese
1 pinch nutmeg
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
100g plain flour
Do not peel the potatoes, simply wash them then either boil until cooked. Cool until you can handle them then rub off the skin and mash the potatoes with a masher or ricer until all the lumps are gone
Add the remaining ingredients except the flour, and gently combine them with a fork until smooth. Fold in the flour but don’t overwork it. The more you work the flour, the less fluffy the gnocchi
Generously flour the bench you’re working on and roll the gnocchi mix into long sausages about 3cm wide. Cut into 1 cm wide pieces and roll into shape with your thumb
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Warm the oven to 120° Celsius
Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water about ¼ of the mix at a time, they’re ready when they float. Strain them out of the water and leave them in a warm dish in the oven while you cook the rest
Buttered spring greens
4 large handfuls of mixed greens (rocket / baby spinach / baby cos / snow pea tendrils / radicchio)
60g butter
2 good dashes of white balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
To serve warm the plates in the oven
Heat the pomorola sauce while the gnocchi is cooking
Pour the hot sauce on the hot cooked gnocchi
In a hot pan melt the butter, toss in the salad leaves and wilt them for the briefest of time so that every leaf has had a little bit of heat. Remove from heat immediately, dress with the white balsamic and a bit of salt and pepper and divide between the plates
Garnish with the buttered leaves, shaved parmesan and enjoy!