GNOCCHI WITH VEGETARIAN SAUSAGE




Ingredients
For the gnocchi :
900 g / 2 lb floury potatoes
200 g / 2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling
1 egg, 1 tsp salt

For the sauce:
6 vegetarian sausages, chopped 1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil
600 g / 3 cups canned tomatoes, chopped
2 sprigs basil
4 tbsp hard cheese, freshly grated Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method : Prep and cook time: 1 hour 15 min
1      To make the gnocchi, cook the potatoes in salted water for about 30 minutes until soft, then drain. Peel the potatoes, press through a potato ricer and leave to steam dry.
2      Mix the potatoes with the flour, egg and salt and knead to a dough which leaves the bowl clean, adding a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. Cover and rest for about 15 minutes.
3      On a floured surface, form the dough into long rolls and chop off slices 2 cm /3/4 inch thick. Form the gnocchi by rolling each slice against the tines of a fork. Cover and leave to rest on the floured surface.
4      To make the sauce, sweat the sausages, shallot and garlic in hot oil. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5      Pluck a few basil leaves and reserve for the garnish. Chop the remainder roughly and add to the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
6      Simmer the gnocchi in salted water for about 5 minutes.
7      Drain the gnocchi and arrange on plates. Pour over the sauce and scatter with hard cheese. Serve garnished with the reserved basil leaves.