Potato Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Wisconsin Fresh Mozzarella
Gnocchi:
- 2 pounds russet baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 to 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (or 1½ cans [28 ounces each] Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Large pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut in ¼-inch cubes
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Instructions:
This pasta recipe makes a delicious dinner dish.
- For the gnocchi, place the potatoes in a saucepan and add water just to the level of the potatoes. Salt the water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until very soft, 25 minutes. Drain well; let stand in the colander for 10 minutes.
- Spread the flour on your work surface. With a potato ricer or food mill fit with a medium disk, rice the warm potatoes evenly over the entire top of the the flour. Toss together lightly with your fingers to distribute the potatoes and flour evenly. Make a well in the center and add the egg. Knead to form a ball. Knead 1 minute to gather up all of the bits of flour and potato on the work surface. Cover with an inverted bowl and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a ½-inch-thick rope, approximately 12 inches long. Working with one rope at a time (keeping the others covered with a towel), with floured hands, cut through the dough with the curved edge of a fork, every ½ inch. On the back edge of the fork, roll each piece forward and back, making fork indentations and shell shapes.
- Toss with the flour. Place on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Heat salted water in a large Dutch oven.
- For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, wine, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the liquid begins to evaporate and the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat. Purée in a blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. Return to skillet.
- To complete the recipe, bring salted water to a boil. Cook about half of the gnocchi until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi. Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce. Heat thoroughly. Toss in the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with grated cheese; serve immediately.