One of the most famous dishes of Campania in Italy and abroad... Gnocchi alla sorrentina are prepared in all restaurants of the world! What makes this gnocchi dish so popular is its simplicity: Mediterranean flavors and authenticity combined with simple preparation. Gnocchi alla sorrentina is covered with tomatoes or roasted tomato puree and fresh basil leaves, flavored with mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese.
Ingredients for Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Recipe
You can choose the cheeses you use in the recipe for Gnocchi alla Sorrentina according to your taste. My suggestion would be to use mozzarella and parmesan. You can also use mascarpone if you like.
Roasted Tomato Sauce:
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes
6 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, diced
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup tomato juice or water
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Gnocchi:
4 large red potatoes, peeled and quartered
Kosher salt
1 egg
1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring
1/2 cup semolina flour
How to Make Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
The best way to prepare gnocchi alla Sorrentina is to make great gnocchi. Prepare the gnocchi by boiling washed and peeling whole potatoes in salted water for about 40 minutes (20 minutes if you use a pressure cooker). Meanwhile, put the flour on a work surface. Drain the potatoes, let them cool, peel off the skins, and pour the mashed potatoes through a vegetable grinder or potato masher over the flour. It is important that the potatoes do not get too cold, keep them warm if possible.
Add the egg and salt and knead the dough until you get 3 cm thick bars.
Cut the sticks into 3 cm wide pieces and align each piece by dragging it through the gnocchi ruler or by applying a little pressure with your thumb using the back of a fork. And your gnocchi is ready to prepare delicious Gnocchi alla Sorrentina.
Place your gnocchi on a clean floured cloth and once you have everything ready, you can put them in boiling water (one portion at a time). When they come to the surface, pour off the water and mix with the basil-tomato sauce. If you like, you can serve them with grated Parmesan cheese.
If you want to bake the recipe in the oven, cut the mozzarella into cubes and put half of the seasoned gnocchi on a 20 × 25 cm baking sheet; add half of the mozzarella and the grated Parmesan. Drain the remaining gnocchi and finally add the mozzarella and Parmesan again.
Bake the gnocchi alla sorrentina in the preheated oven for about 5-10 minutes until the mozzarella melts, then you can serve your fiber gnocchi!
How to Store Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
You can store gnocchi alla sorrentina in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.
Gnocchi can be frozen raw and do not need to be thawed before cooking. They can also be cooked and frozen in the sauce if you are using fresh ingredients. In this case, however, the gnocchi must be thawed and reheated in the oven before serving.
If you have made too much gnocchi sauce, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months and reheat it before using it.
However, I always prefer fresh gnocchi alla sorrentina.
The Tips for Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Do not overcook the gnocchi! If you let the potato pancakes cook too long, they will get a sticky consistency. Instead, take them out of the water as soon as they float to keep the gnocchi alla Sorrentina light and fluffy!
If you want to use mozzarella, it must be fresh. You can also use grated mozzarella, but the fact that the fresh mozzarella cubes melt and rise during cooking makes for a more refined look.
Do not add too much salt! The water of the cooking gnocchi is seasoned with salt. Do not add more than ½ teaspoon of kosher salt (not table salt!!) to the gnocchi sauce or it will get salty very quickly. When we serve gnocchi alla Sorrentina, we will use a lot of salty cheese.
Use fresh basil! Dried basil does not have the same flavor (or crunch!) as fresh.
If you do not use roasted tomato puree, be sure to use cherry tomatoes or sweet ripe tomatoes.
And a must for the best gnocchi alla Sorrentina is virgin olive oil.
How to Serve Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
After you have combined your gnocchi with the sauce, you can serve them directly, garnishing them with Parmesan cheese and a few leaves of fresh basil.
Place the marinated gnocchi in a casserole dish or heatproof dish. Keep the vessels small, in portions, if possible. Add the diced mozzarella cheese on top and the cheese will come out as soon as it melts. Gnocchi alla Sorrentina always goes well with a light green salad. My favorite accompaniment is a glass of Pinot Noir or Sangiovese.
How to Make Tomato Sauce
Put the olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and garlic. Fry the onions and garlic over low heat until they are fragrant and do not lose their aroma. Then add your finely chopped tomatoes to the pan and continue frying them. Then add all the spices, the white wine, and some water (or tomato juice) and cook for about 20 minutes until the sauce thickens and turn off the heat. Now add the chopped fresh basil while the sauce is still hot so that the basil is still fragrant before it is fully cooked. If it increases, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 months and the refrigerator for 1 week.
PS: If you are not in tomato season, you probably will not find ripe tomatoes. In such a case, you can always choose a roasted tomato puree that will work. In this way, you will shorten the preparation time of the sauce and increase the flavor of your gnocchi ala Sorrentina.
Did You Know About Gnocchi?
Pasta comes in all kinds of shapes, but is not as soft as gnocchi. Moreover, in this type of pasta, the main role is not played by flour and eggs, but by potatoes! That's where the softness comes from.
The word gnocchi means "knot" or "nodule". The smallest version is called gnocchetti. Some people call it dumplings, others call it dumplings. They can also be made with semolina or saffron. Whether pasta counts as one of them or not, we leait ve to you to decide, even if the discussions go on.
