Gnocchi Cartagine

Serves 4

A dear friend of ours, Salvatore Cartagine and his lovely wife Lillian gave us the notion for this new gnocchi dish. They are seasoned travelers and picked up the idea from one of their many stops. We hope you enjoy this dish and thank its namesake for sharing it with us. Gnocchi are dumplings made with either potatoes, ricotta or semolina. The texture varies from very light to doughy, depending on the ingredients. A light hand is the watchword for these delicacies. In this recipe, we are using potatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes (preferably chef potatoes)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tbs. Salt
• ½ tbs. White pepper
• 1 tbs. Virgin olive oil

Sauce

• 1 oz olive oil
• 2 oz white wine
• 4 oz chicken stock
• 2 oz butter
• 1 tbs. Capers
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 6 pitted green olives, sliced
• 6 pitted ripe olives, sliced
• 8 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined & diced
• 4 diced plum tomatoes
• 6 basil leaves
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Peel potatoes and return to pot. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes ensuring that no lumps remain. In a mixing bowl, place potatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil and eggs. Begin mixing, slowly adding the flour until a soft dough is formed.
2. Dust the work surface with flour. Divide the dough into pieces, rolling it between well floured hands, forming cylinders ½ inch in diameter. Cut into 1 inch long pieces and pinch the center of each lightly. Drop the Gnocchi in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water, removing them with a slotted spoon as they float to the surface; drain. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, add the gnocchi and pan-sear for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Divide into portions, add sauce and serve immediately.
3. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook from 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Add the diced shrimp, olives, capers and plum tomatoes, cooking on high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken stock and butter, simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the gnocchi portions and enjoy!