This recipe, in the book, looks more like a lovely pile of gnocchi in a tomato soup-looking concoction. The thing was, though, that I didn’t have the patience or the inclination to put this stuff through the strainer as many times as it would have taken to get it to the same consistency, so Dennis suggested I just put it in the blender for a little while, and then put THAT through the strainer.
It ended up being really good, and although it didn’t have the same texture as the original recipe, I also didn’t feel like I was wasting the vegetables I put in.
It was a light meal that we both enjoyed quite a bit. I had just made this dish a few days before I found out about the book signing, and I was going to tell Deb Perelman that I had just made it, and that it was really good, but. . .well, clearly that conversation didn’t happen. Maybe someday. . .
Also, maybe one of these days I’ll make my own gnocchi, but as usual, I used the pre-made stuff for this recipe.
Gnocchi in Tomato Broth
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped or 1/2 cup onion powder
2 Tbsp. garlic
1/2 cup white wine
28-oz. chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package gnocchi
Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, and onion, if you’re using it. If you’re using onion powder instead, don’t add this yet. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and wine, scraping any browned pieces from the bottom. Cook until the wine is reduced by half.
Mash the tomatoes a little bit, then add them to the pot. Add the broth, and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 45 minutes.
When the mixture has about 5 minutes to go, begin cooking the gnocchi according to the directions on the package. (Or, of course, make your own if you’re so inclined.)
Once the mixture is thickened, (carefully!) pour into a blender and blend. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Reheat the tomato mixture on the stovetop with the gnocchi mixed in until heated through.
Serve and enjoy.
