Gnocchi with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce

At first the thought of preparing homemade gnocchi might seem daunting, but really, they are quite easy to create, and in my opinion, make the best little dumpling that can be used in a variety of dishes. Most people think of topping gnocchi with a red sauce of some sort, as is the case with "Gnocchi With Red Wine-Tomato Sauce" (page 232). And they are indeed delicious in this recipe! The gnocchi themselves are nothing more than cooked potato and flour, mashed thoroughly together, with a little parsley, salt and pepper thrown in for good measure. What was different for me this time around (I have made gnocchi in the past) was using baked potatoes, rather than boiled, and using them still warm from the oven. I do believe this made a positive difference in the texture of the finished dumpling. The prepared dough is shaped into rolls, and cut up into small pieces, which are added to boiling water to cook until done (which happens when the dumpling, the gnocchi, floats to the top of the pot.) The red-wine tomato sauce was a perfect Italian style topping for these, made from crushed tomatoes, dry red wine, basil, oregano, and garlic. You might want to add a pinch of crushed red peppers like I did to give it a little zip! Top with some vegan parmesan at the table. Truly comfort food!

 

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

 

ü  Omit the oil when sautéing the sauce ingredients. Instead, put all the ingredients into the sauce pan at the same time, and simmer per the recipe directions.

ü  Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose (white) flour for a heartier dumpling.