Gnocchi, Cheese & Tomato Bake recipe
We use King Edward potatoes for a lovely smooth textured gnocchi. The richness of the cheese sauce is offset by the capers and the slightly tangy layer of tomato sauce. A really great supper dish.
MAKES 1 x 30cm x 25cm Ovenproof dish
FREE FROM GLUTEN / NUTS
Gnocchi
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into evenly sized pieces
¼ tsp salt
75g tapioca flour, plus extra for dusting
75g potato flour
1 egg, beaten with a fork
Cheese sauce
½ pint milk
1 tbsp cornflour
¼ tsp ground white pepper
75g vegetarian mature cheddar, grated
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
100g shallots, roasted until softened and if large, roughly chopped
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp capers, chopped
Base
Batch of Charlotte’s Tomato Sauce (find the recipe here)
Topping
25g vegetarian Italian hard cheese, finely grated
Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4.
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes. Strain, then leave for a couple minutes to dry and cool in a colander.
Either put the potatoes through a potato ricer or mash them. Place the riced or mashed potato on a clean dry tea towel, wrap the towel around the potato and squeeze any moisture out. The aim is to have as little moisture in the potato as possible. The less moisture, the lighter the gnocchi.
Pop the potato, salt, tapioca flour, potato flour and the egg into a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon until a loose dough is formed.
Dust a dry, clean work surface with tapioca flour. Place the dough onto the work surface and knead it by hand for 1-2 minutes, until a smooth dough has formed. Be careful not to over knead. Do not be tempted to add flour at this point. Too much flour will result in hard gnocchi. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Dust a rolling pin with tapioca flour. Roll each piece into a long sausage shape about 3cm in diameter. Cut each sausage shape into small pieces about 3cm long. Dip a fork into some of the tapioca flour, then using the back of the fork, press and slightly flatten each piece of gnocchi, leaving line marks.
To cook, use a dry pastry brush to dust off any excess flour from the gnocchi and place into a large pot of boiling water, a few at a time. Cook the gnocchi until they float to the top, this will take about 2-3 minutes. Gently remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon, and drain thoroughly while continuing to cook the rest of them.
For the cheese sauce, bring the milk to the boil in a pan. In a small bowl mix the cornflour with a little cold water, using just enough to make a paste. Whisk this paste quickly into the hot milk, it will then thicken pretty instantly. Simmer this mixture for 1 minute on a low heat, and add the pepper, cheddar, mustard, roasted shallots, cherry tomatoes and capers. Whilst still on the low heat, whisk the sauce again until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat and set to one side.
Place Charlotte’s Tomato Sauce into the bottom of the ovenproof dish and place the gnocchi evenly on top. Pour the cheese sauce over and sprinkle with the Italian hard cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbling and crispy golden on the top. Serve hot.
Store Keeps in the fridge for 3 days
Tip If you’re short on time try either ready made gluten free gnocchi or gluten free pasta
This recipe is from Honeybuns All Day Cook Book by Emma Goss-Custard, published by Honeybee Books.
