Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Antipasto Sauce

For the gnocchi:

Make the dough before you start the Roasted Antipasto Sauce. Then, you will boil the dumplings while the sauce roasts in the oven.

Combine all of the gnocchi ingredients in a bowl and mix lightly. If you can pick up the dough in your hand and easily form a ball, it’s ready. If it’s too wet and sticks to your hands, add a little more flour very gradually, 1 tablespoon a time, until you can make a ball. Don’t let it get too dry because you want light, puffy, dumplings.

Lightly knead the dough 2-3 times on a flat surface. Pull out pieces about half the size of a baseball, and then roll them into 1/2 inch ropes. Roll out the ropes, and then slice them into 1 inch pieces. Keep doing this until all of the dough is used up.

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil (a Dutch oven works well because it is wide and holds more dumplings). This is a good time to turn the oven on at 400 F and start the Roasted Antipasto Sauce (instructions below). Then you can get the sauce in the oven before you start boiling the dumplings in the next step.

When the water comes to a boil, gradually drop in the dumplings. When they rise to the top (which will be very quick, don’t walk away), simply remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain the cooked gnocchi on paper towels while you finish cooking the rest of them.

For the Roasted Antipasto Sauce:

Start this step after you have made the gnocchi, at the point that it is prepped and ready to be boiled.

Preheat oven to 400 F. You will have this sauce prepped completed by the time the oven is ready.

Put all of the sauce ingredients into a large roasting pan, adding only 2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade, and holding back the other 2 tablespoons for later.

Put the pan into the oven and start boiling the gnocchi. The sauce and the gnocchi will wait for each other while the other finishes cooking.

Check the sauce mixture at about 20 minutes. Depending on your oven, this will take between 20 and 30 minutes (my oven is 20 minutes). Set the timer for 20 minutes, and then check on it. The sauce is perfect when the cherry tomatoes have lost their shape and are wrinkly.

To serve:

Arrange the serving plates.

Plate the gnocchi; approximately 8 pieces per plate. Spoon the sauce over top. Drizzle 1/2 – 1 tablespoons of reserved artichoke marinade over sauce. Grate/slice long pieces of parmesan and place on top. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley on top.

This meal is well matched with a dry red wine, fresh bread, and a plain green salad dressed with oil and vinegar.