As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most divine, delicious Italian dishes on earth. Whenever I eat it I'm reminded of the first time I ever tasted it when I was in Sorrento. The sugar is added to the tomato sauce to try to replicate the sweetness of the fresh San Marzano tomatoes used by the Italians.
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: About 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 packet of shop bought potato gnocchi
2 x 400g tins of chopped Italian tomatoes
A splash of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teasp sugar
A few basil leaves
125g mozzarella cheese, diced, preferably Buffalo
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Method
Fill a medium sized saucepan with water, add salt and bring to the boil.
Add the gnocchi and remove with a slotted spoon once they rise to the surface.
While the water is boiling add the olive oil to another saucepan and heat for a couple of minutes.
Add the garlic and cook gently for a minute or two without burning.
Add the tomatoes with a teaspoonful of sugar, and stir with a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes.
Tear in a couple of basil leaves and cook gently for about 15 minutes to allow the tomato sauce to reduce and thicken.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°/Gas 4.
Put a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
Dot with a layer of diced mozzarella.
Finish with a layer of tomato sauce, topped with the rest of the mozzarella.
Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If you want you can also pop the dish under the grill for a few minutes to cook until a little more golden.
Serve garnished with a couple of basil leaves, and offer more grated parmesan for sprinkling at the table.
Of course if you have more time than me, you can make your gnocchi from scratch.
Categories
#Vegetarian
#Lunch
#Dinner
#Simple