pOtanesca fundamentalists, look away now. This dish takes the classic elements of puttanesca—namely anchovies, capers, olives, and tomatoes—and combines them in a rich sauce for gnocchi, which is then topped with mozzarella, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan, and grilled under the broiler. This is exactly what you want on a rainy night. In fact, my sauce-hating toddler thought it smelled so good that she stole half of my plate — absolutely a win. (Although her kind suggestion was that next time I use it as a pizza sauce, rather than on pasta or gnocchi.)
Crispy baked gnocchi puttanesca
I illegally added small cubes of eggplant, because they melt beautifully into the sauce while adding extra vegetable matter. To make this vegan, omit the anchovies, add an extra tablespoon of capers, and use vegan Parmesan cheese.
Preparatory school 15 minutes
He cooks 30 minutes
serves 2 adults and 2 young children
2 A tablespoon of olive oil
1 onionPeeled and finely chopped
1 medium eggplanttrimmed and cut into 1 cm cubes
½ A teaspoon of sea salt
2 Garlic clovespeeled and finely chopped
2 A teaspoon of capers in a brine solutiondrained
1 A teaspoon of anchovies in oil (about five small slices)
75 grams of black olivesdrained
400 grams of canned and chopped tomatoes
500 grams fresh gnocchi, chilled or canned
150 grams mozzarella ballsAlmost torn apart
40 grams of white or panko bread crumbs
40 grams of parmesan
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or casserole, then add the onions and fry over medium-high heat for five minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the eggplant and salt and cook, stirring frequently, for an additional 10 minutes, until the eggplant begins to soften and brown.
Add the garlic, capers, anchovies and olives, sauté for 30 seconds, and mash the anchovies well. Add the canned tomatoes, leave them to boil, then reduce the heat and leave them to simmer for 10 minutes. (Note: It helps here to use a good brand of canned tomatoes – Mutti is great. Other brands may take a little longer to thicken enough.)
Just before the sauce is ready, boil a large pot of water, then drop the gnocchi into it and cook according to package instructions (usually on a rolling boil for two to three minutes). Drain well, then add the gnocchi to the sauce.
Heat grill to medium-high. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the gnocchi. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan in a bowl, then sprinkle them over the mozzarella cheese. Grill for three to five minutes, until the cheese has melted and the breadcrumbs and Parmesan are well browned, then serve hot.
