Pasta Grannies: gnocchi con salsicce recipe

SERVES 4

Ingredients

For the gnocchi
*1 kg old, floury potatoes
*250 g plain flour
*1 egg

For the sauce
*1 onion, finely chopped
*1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
*4 good-quality plain sausages, skins removed
*400 g tin of tomatoes
*salt

To serve
*grated Parmigiano Reggiano​
*knob of unsalted butter

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and boil them whole or in halves. Leave them to cool just a little before passing the pieces through a potato ricer. Spread the mash out to let it cool further. You want warm, not steaming hot, potato.

2. Sprinkle the flour over the mash and crack in the egg. Mix it quickly and gently so everything amalgamates. Then stop – this is not like making bread or pasta. On a floured surface, roll the mixture into ropes and cut into pieces the size of large green olives.

3. In a frying pan, sauté the onion in olive oil until soft but not coloured. Crumble in the sausage meat and smash it down into the onion. Fry it for another couple of minutes and then add the tomatoes.

4. Break up the tomatoes, season with salt and let it bubble down to a chunky sauce. This will take around 20–30 minutes.

5. When you’re ready to cook your gnocchi, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Warm a serving platter and have it ready.

6. Add the gnocchi to the water – in batches if necessary, depending on the size of your pan as you don’t want the gnocchi to be overcrowded. Once they bob to the surface, wait another 30 seconds and then scoop them out with a sieve or slotted spoon.

7. Place on the warmed dish, sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano over the top, then fold through the sauce, followed by a generous knob of butter. Eat immediately.

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Extracted from Pasta Grannies: The Secrets of Italy’s Best Home Cooks by Vicky Bennison (Hardie Grant, £20) Photography by Emma Lee.