Recipe: Semolina Gnocchi with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Green Peas

Semolina Gnocchi with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Green Peas
rec.food.cooking/Alex Rast (1998)

I don't know if this is very authentic, or classic, or anything, but it turns out great. The texture of fresh peas compliments the gnocchi perfectly and the tastes of the ingredients impart a marvelous fresh flavor to the whole dish.

2 cups semolina flour
6 egg whites
water

8 large Red Roma Tomatoes
5 sprigs fresh Mediterranean oregano
1 sprig fresh basil (approx. 5 large leaves)
2 cups fresh peas (shelled)

First, make the dough for the gnocchi. Mix the egg whites with the flour and add just enough water to make the eventual dough barely not sticky. You should add the water slowly, being careful not to add too much. Knead for half an hour. Kneading will make the dough stickier, so before you start to knead it should seem slightly dry and crumbly. Once you have kneaded it, wrap the dough in wax paper (a "log" shape will make for easy gnocchi creation) and set aside.

Now, start the tomato sauce. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water until the skins start to split (do not leave in water any longer), and skin. Mash the tomatoes into a pulp and place in a saucepan. Bring the tomatoes to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, remove stems from basil and oregano and chop very finely. Add to the tomatoes after about 30 minutes. Continue cooking for at least 15 minutes more, but do not cook for too long or too much water will evaporate.

After shelling the peas, place them in a pot. At this point, bring out the semolina dough and make the gnocchi: pulling off small (chocolate truffle-sized) pieces of dough, roll them into a ball and cut each ball in half with a sharp knife. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and toss the gnocchi in. Also, fill the pot with peas full of water and bring this to a boil. When the gnocchi start to come to the surface, they are done, but you should test by biting one of them rather than rely on this indicator. If you have timed things right, the peas should now just be coming to a boil (at which point you should remove them from the heat in any case) also assuming you performed tasks in parallel, the sauce should be approaching its peak. Remove it likewise from heat. Drain the gnocchi and dump into a bowl or smaller bowls. Add sauce, then peas and mix until the ingredients are more-or-less evenly distributed (for dramatic visual effect, you can skip the mixing step and arrange carefully, forming a white-red-green bull's-eye but mixing will then be difficult and awkward at the table) and serve immediately

This recipe will serve 4 in normal-sized portions, 2 hungry adults, or, as I ate it, 1 ravenous person. The key is in parallel-tasking so that everything becomes ready at about the same moment: you will then have a wonderfully fresh-tasting dish to bring to the table. This also makes an ideal first course if you plan on serving something rather heavy as a main course.