A Gourmet Interpretation of Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

“Torna a Surriento” is the “concrete and irreverent” version of Gnocchi alla Sorrentina created by Paolo Barrale, chef of Aria Restaurant.

The historical recipe Gnocchi alla Sorrentina dates back to the 16th century, that is to say to the arrival of the main ingredient, the potato, from the Americas, together with the tomato, another fundamental raw material of Gnocchi alla Sorrentina.

Chef Barrale, starting with the classic ingredients, such as tomato, basil and fiordilatte, arrives at a contemporary version of the historic recipe Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, in which the softness of the ricotta and gnocchetti, which are made from tomato, play a fundamental role, along with the calibrated acidity given by candied Sorrento lemons and tomato water, for a technical dish, fun and soft as a foam, but no less delicious than the original.

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

San Marzano peeled tomatoes: 1 Kg
Potato flakes: 180 g
Egg: 1
Flour 00: 300 g
Evo oil: 30 g
Garlic cloves: 2
Basil leaves: 10
Salt: to taste

For the dressing

Piccadilly tomatoes: 1 kg

For the mousse

Fiordilatte cheese: 1 kg
Cows’ milk ricotta cheese: 250 g
Albumen: 250 g
Salt: to taste
Lemon juice: 5 g

For the Parmesan crumble

Parmesan cheese: 100 g
Butter: 100 g
Flour 00: 130 g
Salt: 2 g

For the candied lemon

Large Sorrento lemons: 5
Sugar: 100 g
Basil: to taste
Tomato powder: to taste
Parmesan cheese: to taste
Evo oil: to taste
Butter: to taste

Procedure

For the tomato gnocchi

Prepare an espresso tomato sauce with the ingredients, pass through a tomato press and add the potato flakes, the egg, then adjust with salt and finally add the flour. Make the gnocchetti and blanch quickly.

For the tomato water (seasoning)

Pass the tomatoes through a cutter, put on the fire in a pot and bring to a boil. Strain and make a clean, clear broth with the residue, then dry on baking paper at 50°C and pass through the cutter when dry to make a powder.

For the mousse

Cut up the mozzarella, place in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 5/6 minutes at medium. Squeeze the mozzarella well, take 250 gr of the juice obtained and add it to the dry ricotta. Adjust the salt and, if needed, a little lemon juice. Then pour in the egg white as well. Mix and load in siphon about 20 minutes at 65°C.

For the crumble

Mix everything and cool, cut into small cubes and bake at 170°C until fully cooked.

For the candied lemon

Peel the lemons, cut the zest into small cubes and blanch several times in water, then syrup with the juice, half the sugar and add water until completely syrupy.

Serving

Fry the gnocchetti with the tomato broth, add the evo oil, butter, julienned basil, candied lemon, a sprinkling of Parmesan and serve in a fondina, topped with the mozzarella mousse, crumble and tomato powder.

Chef Paolo Barrale

A Gourmet Interpretation of Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

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