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    Pasta · Recipe · Sorrento · Reference page

    Gnocchi alla sorrentina

    gnocchi alla sorrentina

    Potato gnocchi tossed in a tomato and basil sugo, topped with mozzarella and parmesan and baked until bubbling. In Sorrento the gnocchi are boiled and then baked; the quantities are Silvia Colloca's for four.

    Ink and watercolor illustration of potato gnocchi baked in tomato sauce with melted mozzarella and basil in a white dish.
    Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.
    Servings
    4
    Preparation
    45 min
    Cooking
    1 h 30
    Resting
    15 min
    Total
    2 h 30
    Difficulty
    Moderate

    Equipment

    • Large saucepan; potato ricer
    • Large ovenproof frying pan or baking dish (terracotta dishes are traditional)
    • Gnocchi board or fork; slotted spoon
    Servings4

    Ingredients

    • Gnocchi

    • Sugo

    • Topping

    Shopping list

    Method

    1. Put the unpeeled potatoes in a pan of water with two fistfuls of salt, bring to the boil and simmer 35–40 minutes until cooked through. Drain and cool 10 minutes, then pass through the ricer and let the purée cool another 5–10 minutes.

      Why Cooking in the skin keeps the potato dry, so it needs less flour.

      Timer · 40 min40:00

    2. Add the yolk and a pinch of salt to the warm potato, then the flour a little at a time until you have a soft, pliable dough that is not tacky.

      Why Too much flour makes heavy gnocchi.

    3. Cut the dough into 4–5 pieces, roll each into a log on a floured surface and cut into 2–3 cm pieces. Roll them over a gnocchi board or a fork if you like, and dust with flour.

    4. For the sugo, warm the oil over medium heat, add the shallot and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and basil, season, and cook on low for 30 minutes until slightly reduced, adding a little water if it gets dry.

      Timer · 30 min30:00

    5. Heat the oven to 180 °C and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

    6. Cook the gnocchi in batches; as soon as they float, lift them straight into the sugo and toss gently.

    7. Top with the torn mozzarella and parmesan and bake 15–20 minutes until melted and bubbling. Serve hot with black pepper and a few basil leaves.

      Timer · 20 min20:00

    Substitutions

    • Home-made gnocchi → Good fresh potato gnocchi, about 250 g per person (our estimate).
    • Buffalo mozzarella → Cow's-milk fior di latte, drier and less likely to flood the dish.

    Common mistakes

    • Boiling peeled potatoes: they absorb water and the dough needs far more flour.
    • Using very fresh, wet mozzarella: the dish turns watery.

    Storage & reheating

    Best straight from the oven. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge; reheat in the oven until hot through.

    Safety

    Contains gluten, egg and milk. Parmesan is made with animal rennet; vegetarians should choose a rennet-free hard cheese.

    Allergens

    Gluten · Egg · Milk

    Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

    Dietary

    vegetarian

    Boiled, then baked

    "In Sorrento," writes Silvia Colloca, "gnocchi is boiled and then baked." The Sorrento coast's version goes into the oven with its tomato sugo and mozzarella until the cheese melts into strings. Scatti di Gusto published the family recipe of chef Cristoforo Trapani, from the same coast, which bakes the gnocchi in small terracotta dishes for a quick crust. The atlas found no document fixing the dish's origin or date.

    [1][2]

    Dry potato, little flour

    Light gnocchi depend on dry potato. Colloca boils floury potatoes in their skins (or bakes them), rices them while warm and adds only as much flour as the dough needs, often 120 g for 850 g of potato. The gnocchi go from the boiling water straight into the sugo, so they take up its flavour before the short bake.

    [1]

    How it connects

    Place

    • origin Sorrento In preparation
    • related Naples In preparation

    Pasta shape

    Potato

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