One of the first dishes Campania’s best known in Italy and abroad… are the gnocchi alla sorrentina, truly prepared in all the restaurants of the world! What makes this dish of gnocchi so loved is the mix of Mediterranean flavors, genuine and simple. Making gnocchi by hand will bring to mind the Sundays spent at grandma’s house to understand all the secrets hidden behind the perfect consistency of those little gems of potatoes and flour. The gnocchi alla sorrentina are then wrapped in a creamy tomato and basil sauce, flavored with mozzarella and grated cheese… precisely the ingredients that will make the gnocchi even more delicious, creating a stringy effect after the very short passage in the oven. For variety you could also try making the zucchini dumplings, as an alternative to the classic dough with potatoes. Did we make your mouth water? Prepare with us the gnocchi alla sorrentina!
For an equally streamlined version, discover the recipe for the parmesan gnocchi or the variants with pasta or zuchinis!
Read the recipe in English
To prepare the gnocchi alla sorrentina, start with the potatoes to make the gnocchi: wash them under running water to remove any soil, then pour them into a large saucepan, add the water 1 and cook the potatoes for about 30-40 minutes (the time may vary depending on the size, do the test with the tines of a fork to understand the degree of cooking; if you want to reduce the cooking time you can use a pressure cooker). Dedicate yourself to the sauce: pour a drizzle of oil, a whole peeled garlic clove and the tomato puree into a pan 2salt to taste 3.
Season with the basil leaves, then cover with the lid 4 and cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. When the potatoes are ready, drain them well. Then sift the flour on a pastry board and create the classic fountain 5. Mash the still hot potatoes in the center of the flour fountain with the special potato masher 6 or peel and mash them.
Pour the egg over the potatoes 7 and the salt 8then start kneading 9: this operation must be done rather quickly.
Just compacting will suffice 10 and give a homogeneous consistency to the dough, which must be soft but not sticky (and not too tenacious) 11. Cover the dough with a dry, clean tea towel. Boil the water for cooking the gnocchi in a large saucepan and add salt to the boil; In the meantime, take a portion of the dough by hand, keeping the rest covered 12.
Make bigoli about 2-3 cm thick 13. Sprinkle with a little semolina and make the gnocchi out of each loaf using a tarot 14. To give the classic streak, gently drag them onto a riganocchi 15 or on the tines of a fork.
As you prepare them, you can arrange the gnocchi on a tray lined with a clean cloth and lightly sprinkled with semolina 16. Once the gnocchi are ready, remove the garlic from the sauce 17 and pour almost all of it into a very large bowl 18.
Boil the gnocchi by pouring them into the pan at least 2-3 times 19they will have to cook for a very few moments, taking care that the water in the pan simmers and does not boil violently to avoid damaging them: as soon as they come to the surface, drain the gnocchi with the help of a slotted spoon and gradually drop them into the bowl where you poured the gravy 20. Gently mix with a spoon. In a baking dish, pour the remaining sauce on the bottom, then drizzle with a drizzle of oil 21.
Pour a first layer of gnocchi 22 23. Dress with a layer of diced or frayed mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan 24.
Then continue with another layer of gnocchi 25the remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 26. Bake your Sorrento gnocchi in a preheated static oven at 250° in grill mode for 5 minutes. Serve them piping hot and steaming hot 27!
