Ingredients

Method

• 800 g potatoes
• 125 g ricotta
• 3 large free-range egg yolks
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 450g - 500g flour
• 15 g basil, finely chopped
• 2 lemons, zested
For the arrabbiata sauce:
• 3–4 T olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 3–4 fresh red chillies, chopped (or to taste)
• 4 anchovies, chopped
• fresh basil or oregano a handful
• 2 x 400 g cans Woolworths cherry tomatoes
• 30 g Parmesan grated, plus extra for serving
• 2 t vinegar or red wine vinegar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and place on a salt- covered baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until tender. Remove from the oven and scoop out the flesh while hot.

2. Push the potato through a potato ricer until smooth, or usea sieve if you don’t have a ricer.

3. Add the ricotta and egg yolks, season and mix well. Gradually add the flour to make a smooth dough. Fold through the basil and lemon zest.

4. Roll out the dough into cylinders 3–5 cm thick on a floured surface, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Blanch the gnocchi in batches in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain of excess water.

5. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic, chilli, anchovies and herbs and cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes, or until the anchovies have melted and are fragrant. Add the tomatoes and simmer over a medium heat for 20–30 minutes. Add a dash of the gnocchi water, then fold through the Parmesan and vinegar. Simmer for a further 5–10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Season to taste and fold through the hot gnocchi. Sprinkle with Parmesan to serve.

Find more gnocchi recipes here

Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Abigail Donnelly
Food Assistant: Leila-Ann Mokotedi