Gnocchi with Tocco di Carne

When my son Beau was six, he constantly asked me to make what he called "circle pasta," his term for gnocchi. His passion for Italian cuisine, particularly those with a red hue, began during his "red" phase. This period was inspired by a visit from my friend Marco Cameli, who I consider to be one of the finest pasta chefs I know. Marco came to the US from Italy to try out for the sous chef position at my restaurant and spent a week with my family. As we prepared dinner, I would ask Marco to make a pasta dish. Every night we delightedly ate pasta creations like bucatini all’Amatriciana, spaghetti with simple tomato sauces, and what might be the best Carbonara I've ever tasted.

This weekend, consider making this exceptionally light gnocchi tossed in a decadent sauce that blends pork, veal, and dried porcinis. If you're looking for a simpler option, opt for store-bought gnocchi or even a more substantial pasta like bucatini. Prepare the sauce in bulk, freeze it, and you can have a delicious meal ready in under ten minutes.

Gnocchi with Tocco di Carne Sauce

Feather-light potato dumplings in a rich veal, pork, and porcini tomato sauce

• 1 ounce dried porcini (soaked 30 minutes in warm water, reserve)

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 sweet onion (chopped)

• 1 rib celery (chopped finely)

• 1 medium carrot (peeled and chopped finely)

• 3 cloves garlic (mashed)

• 1/2 pound ground pork

• 1/2 pound ground veal

• 1 cup white wine

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 4 cups tomato sauce

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

• 2 packages of gnocchi or make your own

Tocco di Carne Sauce

1. Saute onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil in a sauce pot till tender, about five minutes.

2. Add garlic, and continue cooking until the sweet garlic aroma fills your kitchen.

3. Add ground pork and veal, and cook until browned.

4. In the meantime, strain porcinis, saving both the mushrooms and the liquid. Chop the porcinis, then add them to the sauce. Strain porcini water through a coffee filter, add along with white wine and chicken stock, and reduce by half, about ten minutes.

5. Add tomato sauce, and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, and your sauce is ready.

Finishing the dish

1. You can either make your own gnocchi (many recipes online) or buy store-bought, but either way, drop the gnocchi into a large pot of boiling water and cook till they float. Skim out of the pot, and toss in olive oil and sea salt.

2.  In a separate pan, heat your Tocco di Carne sauce. When simmering happily on the stove, add your cooked gnocchi and toss well. Add a small handful of grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Let sit for a few minutes while the gnocchi or pasta soak up the beautiful sauce, adjust seasonings, and plate up. I like to sprinkle a bit of espelette pepper over it.

Ingredients make a huge difference in the final result of a dish. I use pork from Tail and Trotters, which is finished on hazelnut in Oregon on small family farms.