Glorified Caprese Gnocchi

Submitted by Anna Davis


About the cook: I am a personal chef in rural Springfield Missouri. Although I never attended culinary school, and am self-taught I love to travel and have been given the opportunity to shadow in several renown restaurants around the world. I have passion for cooking and serving people good food. Cooking since age seven, I hope to do it for the rest of my life!

About the dish: I love taking the traditional foods and giving them a special or unique twist. This recipe was inspired after visiting Italy last summer. I would have never started experimenting with pasta had it not been for that trip.



National Origin: Italian

Serves: 6

Estimated Time: 1 to 2 Hours

Ingredients:

Gnocchi:
3 medium yukon gold potatoes, cooked peeled and cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
2+/- cups flour
2 tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes
Sauce:
3 roma tomatoes
1+ cup water
1/3 cup date syrup
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons diced sundried tomatoes
3 oz cured prosciutto
1.5 lbs fresh mozzarella pearls
Lime basil or regular basil to garnish

Preparation:

To make gnocchi, mash the potatoes. Mix in the egg, salt, and grate in the garlic. Add the flour, half at a time adding more or less to get a soft but not too sticky dough. Kneed in sundried tomatoes.
Place a large pot halfway full of water on the stove at medium high heat.
On a generously floured surface, divide dough into 4 sections and roll into long ropes. Cut into small pieces and imprint with a fork or finger if desired. Once water is boiling, put gnocchi into water, not too much to overload the pot. Cook until they float to the top. Remove, drain, and drizzle with a little oil to keep from sticking. Repeat until all the gnocchi is cooked. Cover and set aside.
Slice tomatoes into 4 or 5 thick pieces. Place in a pot (it is okay if the slices are on top of eachother) and pour in just enough water to cover the tomatoes. Add the date syrup, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Simmer until tomatoes are soft and liquid has reduced by about one third. Remove tomatoes and continue to simmer down thel liquid until it has reduced to a thick consistency.
Preheat oven to 375. Place prosciutto on a wire rack on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes, checking frequently to make sure meat doesn’t burn. The end product should be crisp pieces of meat, like bacon that can be broken into chips.
In a large frying pan, place lemon-infused olive oil, butter, leaks, garlic, and sundried tomato and sprinkle with a little salt. Add the gnocchi and saute until onions are soft, and the gnocchi has some color on it. Pour in the balsamic reduction and toss.
To assemble, pile gnocchi on a plate and sprinkle with prosciutto chips. Top with to slices of poached tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and lime basil.

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