Best Gnocchi With Red Pepper Rosemary Sauce Recipes

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH SPICY RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the gnocchi: Up to 6 hours before mealtime, preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Poke several holes in each potato and bake for 45 minutes, or until fairly soft when squeezed. While the potatoes are still hot, cut them in half and squeeze the insides into a bowl, discarding the skins. (You'll want to use a hot pad to do this.) Mash the potato well with a potato masher or a sturdy fork, add the salt and egg yolk to the bowl, and stir well. Add the flour a little at a time and mix with your hands until the mixture just begins to hold together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for 1 minute, or until smooth. You may need to add a little bit more flour to keep the dough from sticking.
• Break off a handful of the dough and roll it into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and add one-fourth of the gnocchi. Cook for 2 minutes after they float to the surface, then remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat the process with the remaining gnocchi. Place the gnocchi in a single layer in a baking pan or on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To prepare the sauce: Up to 6 hours before mealtime, roast the red peppers by placing each whole pepper directly on the gas stove burner (if you have an electric stove, do this under the broiler) and cook, turning occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are almost completely black. Place them in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for 10 minutes. (The steam will make the skins peel right off.) Scrape the blackened skin off the peppers and discard the stems and seeds. Place the pepper in the blender and purée until smooth.
• Peel the onion and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Trim the ends from the celery and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Peel the carrot, cut in half lengthwise, and slice 1/4 inch thick.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook, stirring frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are fairly soft. Add the puréed red peppers, tomato paste, crushed red pepper, and water and stir well. Season with salt and pepper and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Thirty minutes before mealtime, remove the gnocchi and sauce from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature.
• Fifteen minutes before mealtime, place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on two sides.
• Meanwhile, place the sauce over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until hot.
• Spoon half of the gnocchi onto each plate and top with the sauce. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and serve immediately.
• Red and green bell peppers are actually the same plant. Green peppers are picked when the peppers are green (go figure) and red peppers are left on the vine longer until they ripen and turn red. The longer time on the vine results in red peppers being sweeter than the green. Choose smooth, firm peppers with no shriveled or soft spots and avoid the heavy ones. They are loaded with seeds.
• Feta, which is a salted Greek cheese, can be mild or sharp, soft or hard. In the supermarket you'll find it either as a chunk immersed in brine (it spoils quickly after being taken out of the brine) or already crumbled in a package. Buy the latter for this recipe-any leftover is excellent sprinkled over salad.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH RICH AND TASTY RED SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the sauce, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the pork skin fat side up on a plate, and season generously with salt and pepper. Lay the rosemary, anchovy, bay leaf, and chile across the skin. Sprinkle the garlic and fennel seeds over the top. Roll the skin up tightly and tie it around and around with butcher twine, like you would a cheap sleeping bag for a college trip to Camp Lake Crystal. Set aside.
• Open the cans of tomatoes and crush the tomatoes between your fingers over a large bowl.
• In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion. When it is translucent, after about 5 minutes, add the tomatoes. Nestle the sleeping bag in the tomatoes. Add a tablespoon of salt and the Parmesan rind.
• Cover the pot and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the skin pierces effortlessly with a fork.
• In the meantime, to make the gnocchi, whisk together the whole egg and egg yolk in a small bowl. On a vast and clean work surface dusted with flour, drop the ricotta and the flour and mix. Make a well in the ricotta mixture and add the eggs, Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg, a teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper to the well. Mix in the sides of the well, first with the tips of your fingers, gathering together all the ingredients, and then with your hands. Cautiously and briefly knead to form a uniform dough. It should be firm but not hard.
• Press the dough into a rectangle 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick and cut into strips 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Between flat, floured hands, roll each strip into a serpent. Each serpent should be about 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick. Cut each serpent into pieces 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and carefully transfer to a floured tray. Refrigerate the gnocchi for 15 minutes so they will firm up and keep their shape.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot over high heat, salt 6 quarts (6 liters) of the water and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice bath with the remaining 2 quarts (2 liters) water and the ice.
• Working in batches of 12 gnocchi, gently slide the gnocchi into the boiling water with the help of a spatula. Once they float to the surface, they will need 2 to 3 minutes to cook through. Test one to see if it is ready. With a wire skimmer, transfer the gnocchi to the ice bath and leave for 1 minute. Then transfer them to a tray and oil them lightly.
• Returning to the sauce, remove the rolled skin and the cheese rind from the oven. Discard the rind. You can snip the twine, unroll the skin, toss away the seasonings, and then dice the skin and serve it with the gnocchi. That's what we do, but we agree that it doesn't look appetizing.
• Strain the sauce and keep it warm. (If you don't want to use it right away, it will keep for up to 7 days in the refrigerator and even longer in the freezer. You'll notice it becomes slightly gelatinous when you refrigerate it because the skin was cooked in it.)
• To serve, add 2 tablespoons oil to a sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Add the gnocchi and cook for a minute or two, then carefully flip and cook for another minute or so, until warmed through. Top the gnocchi with the sauce and serve with a few thin slices of parmesan.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE (WITH GNOCCHI)

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions. Drain in a colander in the sink.
• In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot, add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden. Add peppers, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a processor or blender and puree. Return sauce to pan, add cream and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add basil, salt, pepper and few drops lemon juice, to taste.
• In a large bowl, toss the gnocchi and sauce together. Divide among bowls, strew over some torn basil leaves, and grate some Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.