Gnocchi with Fresh Tomatoes
Potato Dumplings with Olives, Asiago, and Flavourful Tomatoes
Gnocchi (pronounced “nyo-key”) are another fabulous Italian invention used similarly to pasta. While regular pasta consists of durum semolina flour and water, however, gnocchi are little dumplings fashioned from mashed potatoes and wheat flour, bound together with egg. Gnocchi are available at specialty stores and at the supermarket either fresh (refrigerated, with a short expiry date), frozen, or vacuum-sealed in the pasta aisle.
Cooking with Gnocchi
Gnocchi have an advantage over regular pasta in that they require less cooking time - about three minutes compared to the eight minutes recommended for pasta (frozen gnocchi will take longer), making them perfect for weeknight and quick suppers. As soon as the gnocchi float to the surface of the water, they should be removed.
Be sure to use plenty of water when cooking gnocchi, as a high starch content can cause them to stick together if they are crowded in the pot. While most package directions insist upon using using highly salted water when cooking gnocchi, combining the cooked gnocchi with toppings such as salty olives and asiago cheese might be overkill. Salting the cooking water for this recipe is unnecessary.
Gnocchi with Fresh Tomatoes is best made with fresh, flavourful tomatoes from the garden. During the months where these are scarce, however, gnocchi are also delicious topped with creamy sauces like blue cheese or Alfredo, or, substitute tomato sauce for the whole tomatoes in this recipe. Because of their shape, gnocchi can also hold up to chunkier toppings like the diced tomatoes found here, avocado, chunks of sharp cheese, and vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, or broccoli.
Gnocchi with Fresh Tomatoes Recipe
Serves 2-3 as a main dish.
Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes (including boiling the water)
Ingredients:
- 1 (500 gram) package fresh, frozen, or vacuum-packed gnocchi
- 2 large fresh tomatoes, small dice
- 1/8 cup sliced or chopped Kalamata olives, to taste
- ¼ cup shredded asiago cheese
- 1-2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Follow cooking instructions on package, or
- Add gnocchi to boiling water and stir to prevent sticking to each other and to the bottom of the pot.
- When gnocchi rise to the top of the pot, use a sieve to remove gnocchi from water.
- Place the cooked gnocchi in a large bowl, and add the fresh tomatoes and sliced olives.
- Toss or fold together lightly, taking care not to break the delicate gnocchi.
- Top evenly with shredded cheese and drizzle with olive oil.
- Serve on a bed of baby spinach or baby greens.
