Gnocchi with Primavara Sauce

I've been wanting to find some different recipes. I came across this one. This might sound a little crazy but I didn't know that Gnocchi noodles were made out of mashed potatoes. To be honest this recipe took several, several, several tries to get it right. There are a few different recipes on line, and lot of opinions on how to make it the best way. It was a little difficult to get it right. So bare with me while I go through the directions. I want to be able to tell you exactly what I learned so you don't have to go though the same trial and error that I had to go through. The end product is nice and wonderful. It was just divine with the tomato sauce. And it's very inexpensive to make because it is mostly mashed potatoes!

Gnocchi with Primavara Sauce

Ingredients

6 potatoes

2 cups barley flour

4 eggs

4 teaspoons onion salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

You will also need:

large zip lock bags

scissors

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil potatoes until soft enough to be able to mash them. Peel skins off and them mash them, do not let them sit in the water. The more water they absorb the harder it will be to get the right consistency. Put 1 cup of packed mashed potatoes and 1 egg into a mixer. Mix on med high until very smooth and creamy, scraping sides as it mixes. Add 1 teaspoon of onion salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and mix until well combined. Add 1/2 cup barley four. Mix until potato mixture can be formed into a ball. Remove ball and repeat this process 3 more times.

Bring a large pot of lightly slated water to a boil. Place one of the potato balls into a large zip lock bag. Cut a medium size, about 3/4 inch, hole out of one of the corners of the bag. Start squeezing the potato mixture out of the bag over the boiling water. As the string of potato mixture comes out of the bag use scissors to cut it every inch or so, depending on how big you want your gnocchi to turn out. Be careful not to squeeze the bag too hard, the steam from the water will soften your bag and it can break easily. The gnocchi are finished when they raise to the top. This happens very quickly, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not over cook or they become too sticky from the starch of the potatoes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Repeat this with the remaining three balls. I needed to use a different baggie for each ball. Top with Primavara sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Primavara Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained

2 teaspoons evaporated cane juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

bash black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a medium sauce pan cook onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender. Carefully stir in the diced tomatoes, evaporated cane juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Add dried basil and Parmesan cheese. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Pour sauce over Gnocchi noodles and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!