28 ounces canned plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 sage leaves, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat and add the garlic, celery, carrot, onion and chili flakes, cooking until softened.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and continue cooking until liquid has been reduced by half.
3. Process sauce in a food processor or with a hand blender, then stir in parsley and sage and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 servings

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups Pomarola sauce
salted water

1. Steam potatoes until fork tender, about 30 minutes, then drain and mash.
2. Season potatoes with salt and knead in enough flour to form a smooth, soft dough.
3. Separate dough into several pieces and roll out into snake-like tubes.
4. Cut 1" sections from the tubes, this is the gnocchi.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Cook until it begins to float, about 8 minutes, then remove from the heat and cook for an additional minute or two.
6. Drain gnocchi with a slotted spoon and serve with Pomarola sauce.

Makes 4 servings

I've never eaten gnocchi outside of a restaurant, and the only time I had it I didn't particularly like it. It was sort of like overcooked dumplings that had gelled together when cooled, only to be reheated again. Pairing this with a cream sauce just made for a rather unappetizing plate. After a few successful attempts at making my own pasta (such as the Ravioli and Lasagna), I decided to give it a whirl and see if I should write it off for good.

The recipe seemed simple enough; basically combining mashed potatoes with flour. It was, in fact, that easy to prepare. This is perhaps in part due to really accurate guesswork of how much flour I would need, shaking the bag over the bowl without any method of measurement whatsoever. This ended up being the perfect amount once I fully incorporated it. I've seen a few people make gnocchi on the Food Network lately and they have some sort of technique of rolling it into little ear-shapes off of a knife or with their finger. After a few not-so successful attempts at emulating that, I just pinched my little sections into vague bowtie shapes and boiled them up.

Instead of making my typical Tomato Sauce, I used a slight variation on Pomarola, which is basically a Tuscan tomato sauce with sautéed vegetables. Instead of basil I added fresh sage, which I think worked better with the flavor of the potato than basil would have. The Gnocchi Pomarola was a big success. I kept expecting to be turned off by what were essentially bites of dough, but it had a perfect texture that was actually quite pleasant. I can easily see many more possibilities for the use of gnocchi now, but I'll have to refrain until the project is over. The only downside was that I hurried the sauce, which ended up being a little runnier than desired. This would've easily been remedied with a little bit more cooking time.