Gnocchi alla sorrentina — potato gnocchi baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella

Name: Gnocchi alla sorrentina — potato gnocchi baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500 g Fresh potato gnocchi (pareve) (1 pack, 250 g per person); 800 g Tinned whole peeled tomatoes, such as San Marzano (400 g tin) (2 tins with their juice, preferably San Marzano); 250 g Fresh fior di latte mozzarella (125 g ball in liquid) (2 × 125 g balls, well drained and diced); 30 g Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece) (3 tbsp, freshly grated); 15 g Garlic (3 whole cloves, peeled and split in half); 15 g Fresh basil (about 20 leaves); 50 g Extra virgin olive oil (5 tbsp: 40 g in the sauce and 10 g added after baking); 6 g Fine salt (1 heaped tsp: 5 g in the sauce, the rest to adjust to taste); 25 g Coarse salt (for 2.5 litres of cooking water); 50 g Water (gnocchi cooking water, ladled out to bind the sauce; the 2.5 litres in the saucepan are not counted)

dairy Italian · easy · 45 min, including 20 hands-on

Thursday's gnocchi: potato gnocchi coated in a San Marzano tomato sauce with garlic and basil, then baked with mozzarella, alla sorrentina.

regular version

Ingredients for two

500 g	Fresh potato gnocchi (pareve) 1 pack, 250 g per person
800 g	Tinned whole peeled tomatoes, such as San Marzano (400 g tin) 2 tins with their juice, preferably San Marzano
250 g	Fresh fior di latte mozzarella (125 g ball in liquid) 2 × 125 g balls, well drained and diced
30 g	Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece) 3 tbsp, freshly grated
15 g	Garlic 3 whole cloves, peeled and split in half
15 g	Fresh basil about 20 leaves
50 g	Extra virgin olive oil 5 tbsp: 40 g in the sauce and 10 g added after baking
6 g	Fine salt 1 heaped tsp: 5 g in the sauce, the rest to adjust to taste
25 g	Coarse salt for 2.5 litres of cooking water
50 g	Water gnocchi cooking water, ladled out to bind the sauce; the 2.5 litres in the saucepan are not counted

Method

Cut the mozzarella into 1 cm dice and spread on kitchen paper while making the sauce; its released water would flood the dish. Wash and dry the basil. Peel and halve the garlic cloves and remove the central shoots. Crush the tomatoes with their juice by hand in a bowl. Grate the Parmesan.
Heat 40 g oil in a 28 cm sauté pan over a low heat with the halved garlic cloves for 2 minutes, until pale golden and fragrant but not brown. Remove them, or leave in for garlic lovers, then add the tomatoes and 5 g salt. Simmer uncovered over a medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the sauce coats a spoon and no longer releases water. Taste: it should be distinctly salty, since it seasons the unsalted gnocchi. Adjust with the remaining salt. Tear in half the basil and turn off the heat.
Ten minutes before the sauce is ready, bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil in the covered 4-litre saucepan and preheat the oven to 220°C with a shelf near the top.
Add 25 g coarse salt to the boiling water, or 10 g per litre. Add the gnocchi, stir gently once and keep at a moderate simmer. Lift them out with a slotted spoon 20–30 seconds after they float, 1–2 minutes in total, straight into the sauce pan. Never cook longer, or they will fall apart. Shop-bought gnocchi float quickly; do not wait for a vigorous boil. Ladle out 50 g cooking water.
Return the sauté pan to a medium heat with the 50 g cooking water and shake gently for 30–60 seconds, without crushing the gnocchi with a spoon, until glossy and coated in a loose sauce. Transfer everything to the baking dish, tuck the mozzarella dice between the gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake near the top of the oven at 220°C for 8–10 minutes, until the mozzarella stretches and the edges sizzle; grill for 1–2 minutes for golden patches. Tear over the remaining basil and drizzle with the 10 g oil after baking. Serve immediately, with the dish on the table.

Lighter version

Fresh potato gnocchi (pareve) : 350 g
Extra virgin olive oil : 30 g
Fresh fior di latte mozzarella (125 g ball in liquid) : 125 g

Fewer gnocchi, 175 g per person, and just one mozzarella ball, with all the sauce: use 20 g oil in the sauce and 10 g to serve.

On your plate

Recipe

1094 kcal · protein 42 g · carbs 98 g · fat 56 g

Quantities per person

250 g Fresh potato gnocchi (pareve)
400 g Tinned whole peeled tomatoes, such as San Marzano (400 g tin)
125 g Fresh fior di latte mozzarella (125 g ball in liquid)
15 g Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece)
7.5 g Garlic
7.5 g Fresh basil
25 g Extra virgin olive oil
3 g Fine salt
12.5 g Coarse salt
25 g Water

Cooking tips

Make the sauce the day before; cook the gnocchi just before serving. Drain the mozzarella well: a poorly drained ball releases water in the oven and makes the bake soggy. Fresh cheese gnocchi also work, as this is a dairy dinner. For homemade gnocchi, choose floury potatoes; wet mash needs too much flour and makes heavy gnocchi. Reheat leftovers the next day in the oven for 10 minutes, covered with foil.

Equipment : 28 cm sauté pan, 4-litre saucepan, slotted spoon, 20 × 30 cm baking dish, grater, potato ricer and large board for the homemade version

Gnocchi alla sorrentina, a Sunday dish from the Sorrento peninsula: potato gnocchi baked with tomato and basil sauce, fior di latte and Parmesan. In Rome, giovedì gnocchi means Thursday is gnocchi day.