Burst Tomatoes And Gnocchi My Version

The New York Times Home section had an interesting recipe for gnocchi in a a burst tomato sauce last Sunday. it was too good to pass up and it did sound yummy. Besides the burst tomato part sounded like fun.

The recipe  required  grape or cherry tomatoes. I used Cherub grape ones which produce a more intense flavor than their bigger beefsteak cousins.As for the gnocchi , Dececco works the best. Their potato dumplings are soft yet chewy and they work very well with the sauce. Basil is a must. I miss just plucking off leaves fresh from my garden but that's a couple of months away. Groceries such as Stop & Shop have little packages of picked leaves. Don't worry if they're wilted. They will cook up in the sauce.

The recipe calls for baking the gnocchi in the oven for a few minutes. I went the traditional route and boiled them in salted water. 

As for the sauce. it was six tablespoons of I can't Believe It's Not Butter melted with a good glug of olive oil.

                  This makes for a really rich, buttery base . Four cloves of thinly sliced garlic are also added .

                                   Along with a quarter of a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes.

                                                    Then there are the tomatoes  - pre-burst.

 The basil was also added. I should have cut or shredded it into smaller bits  but it did cook quickly despite being uncut. The tomatoes were ready to burst after eight minutes  of sauteing. Some had to be helped along with a quick squash from a spatula.

                                                

 The sauce is a thick buttery one.It just needs a small pinch of sugar or a drop of honey to take out the slight bitterness from the tomatoes. They burst nicely , leaving a pulpy texture which is perfect for  gnocchi or   any kind of chunky pasta as well.

The original recipe has the gnocchi placed in the sauce and then topped with torn mozzarella pieces for two to four minutes. I thought this would be too much so I just topped the gnocchi with the sauce and then sprinkled shredded vegan mozzarella on top. The effect is more or less the same. The taste was good  although I will probably omit the hot pepper flakes the next time. The bite was a bit too strong and kind of muted the tomatoes. Still it was delicious and definitely will be made many more times. It's an easy cook, and great to make for  a summer dinner.

Gnocchi and burst tomatoes are a tasty way to try grape tomatoes. It's a quick cook up in a pan , ending with a rich sauce that works with gnocchi or pasta. Try it today for a different kind of Italian meal.