Potato Gnocchi with Eggplant and Tomato Ragu

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Soffritto:
(this makes enough for this recipe + enough for 2-3 more dishes, store soffritto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze to use at some point in the future)

2/3 cup EVOO
3 brown onion
3 stalk celery
3 large carrots, peeled
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 juicy ripe tomatoes or tinned tomatoes if you don’t have fresh
6 cloves garlic
1 star anise pod
2 sprigs rosemary
Salt & Black pepper

For the gnocchi:

1kg Sebago potato, washed
40g parm
2 egg yolks
120g 00 flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
a couple rasps of freshly grated nutmeg

Eggplant & Tomato Ragu:

1/4 cup EVOO
1 large purple Eggplant (approx 500g), peeled
1 (400g) tin cherry or San Marzano tomatoes (if using San Marzano, crush them a bit by hand)
1/4 cup loosely packed oregano leaves
Salt
Pinch chili flakes (optional)
Parmiggiano Reggiano

Method:

To make the soffritto: you can either chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic finely by hand or I like to put them in my food processor and pulse until I get a fine pulp.

Next, place a heavy bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil and all the chopped vegetables with a good pinch of salt. Cook for about 30 minutes on low heat until the vegetables are soft and tender and released all of the liquid.

Next, cut the tomato in half (through the equator) and squeeze out the seeds. Grate the flesh side of the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater which will produce a pulp leaving the skin in your hand. Discard the skin but add the tomato and tomato paste to the pot with the vegetables.

Sweat on low heat for another 30 minutes. Stir the pot frequently to ensure the bottom isn’t burning, especially in the last 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. It should be deeply, caramelised, well seasoned, sweet and rich. Divide into 3-4 containers and save 1/3rd to make the ragu.

To make the gnocchi: preheat your oven to 180C conventional (160C fan force). Prick the potatoes with a fork all over and then place them on a rack in the oven. Cook until completely tender throughout. This can take anywhere between 1-1.5 hours, depending on their size and your oven. When tender, allow them to cool just enough to handle but you want to work with them while they are still a bit warm. Peel away the skins and pass the potato through a ricer or a moullé. Measure out 500g and use any extra for something else.

In a bowl, combine the warm potato and the egg yolks and mix to combine. Tip it out onto a lightly dusted bench. Sift the flour over the top, grate the cheese and nutmeg over the top too and add the salt. Mix until its uniform and combined, knead a couple of times but do not to overwork it. A bench scraper helps you here. It should not be too sticky but add a bit of bench flour as needed.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll into logs that are approximately 2cm in diameter. Cut into pillows that are about 2cm in length. Using a gnocchi board or the back of a fork, gently press the cut side of the gnocchi into the board using your thumb to press ridges around the gnocchi. Let it roll off and place them on a flour dusted sheet tray. Cover with a slightly damp tea towel until ready to cook.

To make the ragu:

Cut the eggplant into 2cm dice.

Take a heavy bottomed pot or nonstick pan and place it on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and fry the eggplant until its golden brown on all sides and completely tender and falling apart. Add more olive oil if needed.

Add in the oregano and tomatoes (including the liquid they come in) and 1/3rd of the cooked soffritto and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer over low heat for about 5-10 minutes until the ragu is thickened. Check for seasoning and add salt and chili flakes (if using).

To finish:

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and then turn the heat down so the water is just simmering. Add in the gnocchi and let them cook gently. Let them float to the surface and then cook them a further 1-2 minutes. Reserve a cup of the gnocchi cooking water. When they are finished, scoop them out and place directly into the pot with the ragu.

Toss the boiled gnocchi with the hot ragu and use some of the hot gnocchi cooking water to thin the ragu to the right consistency so it coasted the gnocchi without being stodgy. Divide on plates. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan.