How to make Gnocchi all'Amatriciana

How to make Gnocchi all'Amatriciana. From Rome, with love, I present you two classic dishes combined into one. The richness of the Amatriciana sauce marries perfectly with the luxurious texture of the homemade potato gnocchi. A wonderful Sunday lunch/dinner that will wow your family or guests.

Song of the day: Viva la Mamma! - Edoardo Bennato

Gnocchi all'Amatriciana

If you happen in Rome, you will see that almost every restaurant, osteria, trattoria, has both gnocchi and pasta all'Amatriciana on their menu. Sometimes, you can find the marriage of the two, like these Gnocchi all'Amatriciana.

In this case, the source of inspiration was zio Lionello, my uncle, my mother's brother. My family and relatives they all live in Rome, so Amatriciana sauce, and gnocchi are two recurrent dishes. He told me that he and my aunt made gnocchi one day, and paired them with an Amatriciana sauce. They absolutely loved it and suggested I try myself. Thank you, zio, best thing we've eaten lately!

Sugo all'Amatriciana, Amatriciana sauce

What is Amatriciana sauce? It is a sauce made of tomatoes, guanciale (cured pork jowl), peperoncino or black pepper, white wine, and Pecorino, typical of Amatrice, a little town in the Lazio region. Often paired with bucatini, spaghetti, or rigatoni, it is one of the classic pillars of Roman cuisine together with Carbonara, Gricia, and Cacio e Pepe.

How to make gnocchi

By no means you can buy premade gnocchi to make this dish, although nothing can beat some good homemade potato gnocchi.

• First, boil the unpeeled whole potatoes until they are soft when you prick them with a fork. Drain, remove the peel, and pass them through a potato ricer directly onto the work surface.
• Let cool, then add the flour, a dash of salt, and a pinch of nutmeg, now mix quickly, just enough to combine the ingredients. Add just a little flour if necessary. Shape into a loaf and keep some flour on the side.
• Cut a slice of the dough at a time, dust very little flour on the board and start making a rope about 1.5 cm round. With a knife, or bench scarper, cut pieces of dough about 1.5-2 cm. As they are ready, put them on a floured tray making sure they do not overlap and sprinkle some more flour on the gnocchi.

The sauce

• Cut guanciale in slivers and place in a saute pan on medium heat on the stove. Render until crispy, 2-3 minutes, then remove from the pan and drain onto a paper towel, in a bowl.
• Leave some of the oils in the pan, discard the rest. Pour some white wine in and let dissipate.
• After, add the hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes and a pinch of chili flakes, and a basil leaf, if using. Cook over low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Remove the basil, then add the crispy guanciale back in and stir. Cook for 5 more minutes, adding some pasta water if it is getting too dry.

Cook the gnocchi

• Have a large pot with plenty of water and some coarse sea salt on the stove on medium/high heat. Cover with a lid to make it boil faster.
• When the water is boiling, place some gnocchi at a time on a skimmer/strainer and immerse them delicately in the water, keep doing this until all the gnocchi are in the pot. Wait until they slowly rise to the surface and the water is foamy. Turn off heat, add a glass of cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Drain with a skimmer/strainer and place them in the saute pan with the sauce with heat on low. Toss gently.
• Turn off heat, add most of the grated Pecorino and toss well to blend.
• Finally, plate, adding more sauce and Pecorino on top.

"Ho una fame da lupi"

The metal plate that we bought at Flake's, in Trastevere, Rome, literally says "I'm hungry as the wolves", meaning I'm so hungry I'm starving/I'm famished, lol!

In a word, Italians seem to be always famished for good food. We are constantly talking about what we ate and what we made. At breakfast we are talking of what we're going to have for lunch, and at lunch we are planning the dinner. And so on, the circle continues.

This gnocchi is so flavorful. I love how they are tender and just melt in your mouth. The sauce coats the gnocchi well, adding a rich flavor to the whole, and that guanciale stays crisp even in the sauce, and the flavor is just fabulous. The Pecorino takes the plate to another level with its umami, creating a lovely balance with the sauce and gnocchi.

Hope you'll make this Gnocchi all'Amatriciana and bring a Roman flair to your table.

Buon Appetito e Buona Festa della Mamma!

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