In the beautiful Montefalco area, you will find a regional specialty on the menu in most restaurants you enter, which we here at Sjøørn Spirits can only warmly recommend. Gnocchi al Sagrantino is a delicious, rich and warming dish with an amazing purple color and a satisfying depth of flavor. And of course it goes perfectly with a warming glass of Montefalco Sagrantino from Cantina Benincasa – what better way to welcome the cooler fall months?
Ingredients
Gnocchi
– 1 kg potatoes (about 4 large potatoes). The best potatoes for gnocchi are floury varieties, such as Yukon Gold. Hard waxy potatoes are not dieal for this recipe.
– 1 1/2 cups flour
– 2 egg yolks
– 1 teaspoon salt
Sauce
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 2 ounces guanciale (or pancetta, bacon), finely diced.
– 1 small sweet onion, diced
– 2 garlic cloves, diced
– 1 1/2 cups full-bodied dry red wine, e.g. Benincasa Montefalco S
– 1 1/2 cups full-fat whipping cream 40% fat)
– Salt and pepper to taste
– 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Method
INSTRUCTIONS
1. for the gnocchi, place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
2 Cut the potatoes in half and, as soon as they have cooled, scoop out the insides with a spoon and press through with a potato ricer. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and two egg yolks and mix.
3. add most of the flour, reserving about a quarter of the amount and mix lightly. It is very important not to knead the dough too much so that it remains light and does not become tough and sticky. Add a little more of the reserved flour if necessary. Remember: the less flour you add, the lighter the gnocchi will be.
4 Roll the dough into tubes and cut into small rectangles. If you like, you can decorate the gnocchi with a wooden gnocchi board to give the surface a certain texture. Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured board or plate and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
5 For the sauce, heat the oil over a medium heat until it starts to smoke slightly, then add the guanciale and fry until it is browned and the pink fades. Add the onions and fry until brown, then add the garlic. Then add the Sagrantino and simmer over a low to medium heat until the liquid has almost disappeared, which takes about 20 minutes.
6 Reduce the heat, add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before pureeing the sauce with a hand blender.
7 Cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted water. They are ready when they float to the surface. This only takes a few minutes, depending on the size of the gnocchi.
8 Drain the gnocchi, mix with the sauce and grated pecorino cheese and toss gently. Serve with a glass of Benincasa Montefalco Sagrantino, of course.
