What you do
Peel the potatoes and cut them into even sizes and put them in a saucepan, cover with water and add a rounded teaspoon of sea salt. Bring to the boil and cook until tender right through – about 12 minutes (depending on the size you have cut them).
Drain well and leave in a tea-towel for 5 minutes, this will keep them warm, but also absorb any excess moisture. Next, make the dough – You need to mash the potatoes so they are lump free, a potato ricer makes light work of this, push into a mixing bowl, then add the salt and mix through. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, beat lightly with a fork and mix into the potato. Add about 3/4 of the flour and fold in. Leave it for a minute to allow the flour to get absorbed, then see if you need any more (the amount of flour can vary according to the moisture in the potato and the size of the egg). Add enough additional flour to make a nice soft, light dough.
Tip out onto a lightly floured work top and push the dough together into a rectangular shape and divide into 4 portions. Roll each into a long sausage shape to the thickness of your index finger. Cut into 8 pieces slightly on an angle, roll each of them lightly and set aside on a floured tray or large plate. Continue with the rest until you have it all rolled and cut.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the gnocchi, they will sink initially, then rise to the top. Remove and drain using a slotted spoon, onto a plate.
Next, cook the other ingredients. Add the olive oil to the pan, when heated, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened; add the chopped tomato and stir through, followed by the grated garlic and the tomato paste. Stir together and then add the white wine and the shredded courgette. The courgette will soften quickly, add the roasted tomatoes and leave over a low heat to warm through. Roll up and shred the basil and stir in.
Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick pan, add the butter and olive oil, when hot, add the gnocchi (you may need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your pan), sauté them briefly until lightly coloured, spoon into the pan with the tomatoes and courgettes, gently stir through and serve. Finish with fresh grated Parmesan and serve.
Potato Gnocchi
300g starchy potatoes- try Italian Spunta or British Desiree
1 small egg, lightly beaten
About 100g plain “00” or semolina flour – you may not need all of it
A pinch of sea salt
The Sauce:-
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
1 fat clove garlic, peeled and grated
Grated Parmesan to finish
A handful of basil leaves
8 medium heirloom tomatoes – pre-roasted (see recipe)
1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste
50ml white wine
1 small courgette, thinly sliced with a wide head peeler and then shredded