Recipes

Ricotta and Egg Gnocchi with Olives, Capers, and Tomato Sauce

  • Serves

    serves 6

CON POULOS

By SAVEUR Editors


Published on March 14, 2015

These soft gnocchi from Tuscany are the ultimate version of the kind most commonly served at Italian-American restaurants. The dish is amped up with briny chopped capers and green olives. Featured in: All the Gnocchi.

Find this recipe in our cookbook, SAVEUR: Italian Comfort Food

Ingredients

For the Gnocchi

  • 2 lb. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • 1 23 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 7 tbsp. homemade ricotta or store-bought whole-milk ricotta
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 eggs

For the Sauce

  • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 12 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium yellow onion, minced
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 (28-oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 34 cup pitted green Castelvetrano or Gaeta olives, pitted and halved
  • 13 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
  • 14 cup capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp. roughly chopped wild or regular oregano

Instructions

Step 1

Make the gnocchi: Boil potatoes in a 4-qt. saucepan of water. Reduce heat to medium-high; simmer until potatoes are tender, 25–30 minutes, and drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add flour, ricotta, salt, and eggs; using your hands, mix until a smooth dough forms. If dough is sticky, add more flour, 1 tbsp. at a time, as needed.

Step 2

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; quarter dough. Working with one-quarter dough at a time, use your hands to roll dough into a 3⁄4"-thick rope. Cut rope crosswise into 1" gnocchi; transfer to a flour-dusted, parchment paper—lined baking sheet. Separate gnocchi to prevent sticking. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until ready to cook.

Step 3

Make the sauce and serve: Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium. Cook chile flakes, garlic, bay leaf, onion, and rosemary until vegetables are soft, 6–8 minutes. Add butter, tomatoes, and salt; simmer until thickened, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Discard bay leaf and rosemary; keep sauce warm. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a simmer over medium-high. Cook gnocchi, all at once, until they float, 2–3 minutes. Stir olives, pecorino, capers, and oregano into sauce. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to sauce; season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Divide gnocchi between serving bowls; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pecorino.

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