At Trattoria & Pizzeria Ornella in Naples during our trip in October 2020, we tasted one of the “musts” of Campanian cuisine: Sorrentina gnocchi.
Homemade gnocchi, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and Parmesan: a few simple ingredients for one of Campania’s iconic dishes, traditionally cooked in a “pignatiello“, an earthenware pot where Sorrentina gnocchi are baked for a few minutes, creating that crispy and stringy crust.
➡ They are a typical dish of Campanian tradition, particularly from the city of Sorrento from which they take their name.
➡️Gnocchi, in their oldest form, date back to Roman times, but potato gnocchi as we know them today came after the discovery of America, with the introduction of the potato in Europe in the 16th century.
➡️ the *”Sorrentina”* sauce originates in the Sorrento area and reflects the typical flavors of the Coast: fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella fiordilatte, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
➡️This dish represents the perfect fusion between peasant cuisine and simple Mediterranean cooking, yet rich in flavor.
🔺Curiosity
– They are traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot called “pignattiello”.
– It’s a Sunday dish, a symbol of conviviality and family tradition.
Ideal proportion: 2.2 lbs potatoes → 9 oz flour → 1 egg.
If the potatoes are very dry, you can reduce to 7.8 oz of flour.
In the video, the gluten-free version.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
For the potato gnocchi:
- 2.2 lbs white-fleshed potatoes (red or thick-skinned, starchy potatoes)
- 9 oz flour (preferably weak, type 00 W 170)
- 1 egg (optional but traditionally used in Campania)
- to taste salt
- 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- to taste basil
- 14 oz mozzarella fiordilatte (drained)
- 2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano (grated)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- 1 Pan pignatiello
Preparation
Cook the potatoes whole and with the skin in salted water for 30–40 minutes until tender (or steam them).
Peel them while still hot and mash them with a potato masher onto a floured work surface.
Let them cool slightly, then add the beaten egg and a pinch of salt.
Add the flour gradually, kneading as little as possible. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
Shape into rods about 0.8 inches thick, cut into pieces of about 0.8–1.2 inches, and optionally roll them over a gnocchi board or fork.
Let them rest for 10–15 minutes on a floured surface.Dice the mozzarella.
Prepare the tomato sauce: wash the tomatoes, cut them in half, remove the seeds and juice, and let them dry for a few minutes.
Heat 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan, add the finely chopped onion and garlic, and sauté over low heat for a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes and let them wilt, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until they are cooked just right. Season with salt, a generous grind of pepper, then pass everything through a fine strainer into another saucepan (see also the recipe for tomato sauce).
Cook the potato gnocchi in abundant water and coarse salt. It will take about 2 minutes; when the gnocchi float to the surface, they are ready to be drained. Use a slotted spoon to drain them and gently transfer them to a large pot with a base of 2–3 ladles of warm sauce.
Dress the gnocchi with part of the tomato sauce.
Transfer your Sorrentina gnocchi to an earthenware pan; if you don’t have one, you can use a classic porcelain baking dish. Add more sauce, keeping some for the top, add Parmesan, basil, mozzarella (saving some for the top), mix gently, and finish with a final layer of sauce, mozzarella, basil, and grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F with the grill on for about 5-8 minutes.
Remove the small pan from the oven, finish the recipe by placing two basil leaves on the gnocchi and serve hot.
What is the gluten-free recipe for Sorrentina gnocchi?
🧂 Ingredients for 4 people (about 1.3 lbs of gnocchi):
2.2 lbs old white-fleshed potatoes (e.g., red or thick-skinned, starchy potatoes)
8.8–10.6 oz rice flour
1 medium egg (optional but traditionally used in Campania)
1 pinch of fine salt
🍅 To complete “alla Sorrentina”:
28 oz tomato sauce (preferably San Marzano or blended canned tomatoes)
1 clove of garlic or half a white onion
A few fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil, salt to taste
10.6 oz mozzarella fiordilatte, well-drained and diced
1.8–2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana, grated
Proceed as above.
In the picture, my version.
