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Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce is a hearty dish which I prefer eating with loads of cheese. For those who don’t like chili or if you plan to serve this dish to children, you may remove the chili. Adding some basil instead of parsley slightly alters the taste as well if you want to add some herbs.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 400g can diced tomatoes

1 small fresh red chili, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley

Salt & ground black pepper to taste

1 625g packet gnocchi

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Sliced crusty Italian bread, for serving

 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes or until the fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and the chili. Set the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for around 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the parsley and then season it with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Half fill a large saucepan with salted boiling water. Cook the gnocchi for one minute or until they float to the surface. Drain well, but reserve two tablespoons of cooking liquid. Place the cooked gnocchi and the reserved liquid to the tomato sauce. Gently toss to combine. Adjust the taste by adding salt and pepper if desired. Divide the gnocchi and tomato sauce mixture into individual plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

 

Image from:  10Rosso

Pumpkin Gnocchi

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Pumpkin gnocchi is an Italian recipe that you can prepare ahead of time. You can keep them uncooked in the refrigerator for 24 hours. It is perfect for parties and dinners too because you can make as much as you want a day before without the hassle on the day itself.

You can be very creative with this dish by adding different types of cheese. I hear that truffle oil or fresh truffles make this recipe more fantastic than it already is.

 

Ingredients:

One 3-pound butternut squash or pumpkin

1 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1 3/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 sage leaves

 

Preheat the oven to 400F. After, cut the squash or pumpkin into half. Scoop out the seeds and discard them. Place the squash on their sides on a baking sheet. Roast them for 25 minutes until soft. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

Once the squash is cool enough, scrape the meat from the skin and then place the squash meat on a sieve. Press it down with a spatula into a bowl.

Place 1 1/2 cup of squash puree to medium sized saucepan. Add water, salt and nutmeg. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gradually add a cup of flour and stir constantly until you form a large orange ball around 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in the egg and 1 1/2 cups of cheese.

Place the pumpkin mixture into a floured surface and let it cool. Add 1/2 a cup of flour and knead the dough to form a smoother ball. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll them into 1/2 inch logs. Dust with flour if needed to avoid the pumpkin dough from sticking. Cut the logs into 1 inch segments. Dredge the gnocchi in flour and set aside.

Prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sage and cook it until crisp around 2-3 minutes. Let the sauce cool.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches until they rise above the surface. When they are cook, transfer them to the skillet with the sauce. Place the pan over high heat for another 2-3 minutes and lightly toss the gnocchi. Turn off the heat and add the remaining Parmesan cheese. Gently toss them once more before dividing them among serving plates or placing them in a serving platter. Garnish with the fried sage before serving. Serve warm.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  Charles Haynes

Beef Ragout

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Based on a traditional North African dish, this Cous Cous based dish is full of vegetables, and is really simple to make. It’s also quite a fast dish to make, and doesn’t take much looking after.

Beef Ragout

It’s a great dish to have as a dinner when you’re in a rush, as you can easily prepare a lot of the vegetables in advance, or replace a lot of them with other seasonal vegetables – also you can replace with various roasted vegetables, and replace the Cous Cous with a range of sides – Gnocchi, Pasta, or Potaotoes are all great favourites

To Serve 4
1tbsp Oil
450g Beef, Minced or Diced
1 Garlic Clove, Crushed
1 Onion, Quartered
25g Plain Flour
150ml Dry White Wine
150ml Hot Beef Stock
2 Baby Turnips, Peeled and Diced
115g Swede, Peeled and Diced
2 Carrots, Peeled and Diced
2 Courgettes, Peeled and Diced
1tbsp Fresh Coriander, Chopped
1tsp Ground Coriander
225g Cous Cous
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat the Oil in a large Pan, and add the Beef. Fry for five minutes, before draining off three quarter of any juices in the pan.
2. Add the Garlic and Onion to the pan, and cook for a further three minutes.
3. Stir in the flour, and cook for another minute until thickened considerably. Add the Wine and Stock to the pan, and season to taste. Bring to the boil, and keep stirring.
4. Into the pan, add the Vegetables, along with the Fresh and Ground Coriander. Lower the heat, and cook for fifteen minutes with the lid on.
5. Whilst the Saucepan is simmering, place the Cous Cous in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for ten minutes, and then drain and place into a lined steamer or colander. Place the steamer (or colander) above the Saucepan. Steam for thirty more minutes, garnish with Coriander and serve.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Baked Gnocchi with Chilli

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A great treat for dinner, this classy dish will leave your guests looking for more!

Serves 4
1kg Gnocci
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 Red Chilli (deseeded and finely chopped)
2 tbsp Red Pesto
390g Chopped Tomatoes
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves of Garlic
3 slices Bread (try a mix of white and brown)

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C/ XXX F/ Gas Mark 3
2. Heat 1 tbsp Olive Oil in a pan, add the Onion and Red Chilli, and cook until soft
3. Stir in the Red Pesto, Chopped Tomatoes, the rest of the Olive Oil, the Garlic and 200ml of water. Simmer for 5 minutes
4. Cook the Gnocchi according to the pack instructions (different packs and styles have different cooking instructions), and drain. Add to the Tomato sauce
5. Pour the Gnocchi, Tomato sauce, Pesto, Onion, Chilli, Oil and Garlic into an oven proof dish. Pulse the bread in a blender to make breadcrumbs, and top the dish with them
6. Bake for 20 minutes, and serve straight away