The Gnocchi alla Sorrentina (Sorrento Style Gnocchi) are a classic dish of the Campania region tradition (Sorrento Peninsula) a must for Sunday lunch and a dish that everyone likes, adults and children.
What makes this dish of gnocchi so loved is its simplicity: Mediterranean flavors and genuineness mixed with easy preparation. The dish consists of potato gnocchi seasoned with a fresh tomato sauce, flavored with basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese.
If you want to make Gnocchi alla Sorrentina really special, then you have to prepare gnocchi by yourself: it’s easier than you think but it will be worth, guaranteed… 🙂
If you like potato Gnocchi don’t forget to try also Gnocchi al Gorgonzola and Pumpkin Gnocchi!
To prepare the gnocchi alla sorrentina start with the potatoes: wash under running water to remove any soil, then pour into a large pan, add the water and cook the potatoes for about 30-40 minutes (depending on the size the time may vary, do the test with the tines of a fork to understand the degree of cooking, if you want to reduce the time you can use a pressure cooker).
Dedicate yourself to the sauce: in a saucepan pour a little oil, a clove of peeled whole garlic and the tomato sauce, salt to taste ; season with the basil leaves, then cover with the lid and cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
When the potatoes are ready, drain them well. Then sift the flour on the pastry board and create the classic fountain, crush the potatoes still hot in the middle of the flour fountain with the potato masher or using a fork.
Pour the egg and salt on the potatoes, then start kneading: this operation should be done rather quickly, just the time to compact and give a homogeneous, soft consistency (not sticky but not too tenacious) to the mixture. Cover with a dry and clean cloth.
Put the water to boil the gnocchi in a large pan and salt when it boils; in the meantime, take a portion of the dough by hand, keeping the remaining portion covered and making little loafs with a thickness of about 2-3 cm. Sprinkle with a little of semolina and get the gnocchi from each loaf, helping you with a knife . To give the classic rifling you can use an utensil called rigagnocchi or the tines of a fork. As you prepare them, you can arrange the gnocchi on a tray lined with a clean cloth and lightly sprinkled with semolina.
Once the gnocchi are ready, remove the garlic from the sauce and pour almost all the sauce in a very large bowl.
Boil the gnocchi by pouring them into the pan at least in 2-3 turns; cook only for a few seconds, taking care that the water in the pan quivers and does not bubble violently to avoid damaging them: drain the gnocchi with the help of a skimmer as soon as they come to the surface and dip them manually in the bowl with the sauce. Stir gently with a spoon.
In a pan for the oven, pour the remaining sauce on the bottom, then sprinkle with a little oil and pour the gnocchi.
Season with a layer of diced mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese . Continue with another layer of gnocchi remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake your gnocchi alla sorrentina in a static oven preheated to 250 ° in grill mode for 5 minutes. Serve hot and steaming!
You can keep the gnocchi alla sorrentina in the fridge in an airtight container for a day at most, covered with transparent film.
The gnocchi can be frozen also raw: it will not be necessary to defrost them before cooking. Or you can freeze them already cooked and seasoned, then heat them directly in the oven before serving.
You can prepare the gnocchi alla sorrentina also with some fresh, ripe and juicy tomatoes; choose some copper tomatoes (or in any case a type of tomato to make sauce) cook them for a few seconds in a pan and then pass the pulp to the vegetable mill.
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