Recipe: Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato and Wine Sauce

This recipe is one that I tried from the chefs at Olive Garden. It was a very simple and easy recipe… it came out as I had remembered it at the restaurant so it was a definite success.

I stuck pretty much to the recipe…big surprise, I know….. but I did change a few minor things…. and I have a few tips to help you...

TIPS

Since there’s just two of us, I cut the recipe in half…. I will list the recipe as they have it… it serves four.

The recipe calls for canned tomatoes… I would assume plain ones… I used a can of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano… it added a bit more flavor… it was a great choice…

I followed one of their chef’s tips and added cream… they suggested it to add richness… I added only a tablespoon… I wanted to smooth out the texture… which it did… in the recipe I listed it as two tablespoons because the recipe is for four servings not two.

I put the garlic cloves in whole and sautéed them that way and let them cook in the sauce… I made sure that the garlic was included in what I took out of the sauce to puree in the blender.

The wine I used was a Sauvignon Blanc by Monkey Bay, a wine from New Zealand… I had tried it a while back when I made another dish calling for dry white wine and gave it a try… I really like to cook with this wine… it’s got a great flavor…and it was inexpensive…what could be better?

Their other suggestions are to add vegetables (your choice) and/or sautéed chicken strips… which I will probably try next… it sounds great.


I used Vigo imported Gnocchi…. I was hesitant to buy it .. it seemed expensive… it was over $5 (US) for one pound… but since that was really the heart of the meal… it ended up being a really inexpensive meal… they cook in 3 minutes… so it was a great choice all around.

The picture doesn’t show the chopped basil… the person I made this for isn’t fond of the chopped basil so I left it off.

I served it with a side salad…..we really enjoyed this meal… I hope you do too!






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Recipe: Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato and Wine Sauce

All you need:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of fresh garlic
1 pinch of chili flakes
1 cup dry wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans (14.5 oz.) tomatoes
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 lbs. gnocchi (potato dumplings), cooked according to package directions
Fresh chopped basil to taste
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

All you have to do:

Saute olive oil, garlic and chili flakes in a pan over medium heat until the garlic turns a light golden brown.

Add the white wine and chicken broth and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Reduce the wine and broth by half, add the tomatoes and continue simmering for 30 minutes.

Puree half of the sauce in a blender with butter and parmesan cheese.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the sauce from the blender and stir into the remaining other half of the sauce that was not pureed.

Remove the gnocchi from the boiling water, drain and mix with the sauce.

Serve gnocchi topped with Parmesan cheese and basil.

Serves 4.