Handmade Gnocchi and Beef Ragu

Boil potatoes (unpeeled) until just tender. They’ll be ready when you prick them with a fork and it slides in easily. Drain and set aside to cool.

Once cool, remove potato skins. Add salt for seasoning and then purée the potatoes. Add chopped basil then flour, half a cup at a time, to the potatoes to make a dough. Ensure that the mixture is not too wet or too dry. If wished, you can add Parmesan or tomato purée at this stage, to change the flavour of the gnocchi.

Turn potato dough out onto a floured board and cut into 4 even pieces. Make a log from each piece about 2 cm wide. Cut each log into pieces about 1.5–2 cm long. Make a small ball from each piece and press onto the tines of a fork to get the traditional oval gnocchi shape. Set aside on a floured dish until you are ready to cook.

To cook gnocchi, simply bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add a few at a time. When cooked, they will float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a warmed serving bowl.

To make ragu, fry onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft. Add beef mince and brown well. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and white wine. Stir through and allow to simmer for at least 15–20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to season.

Pour ragu over gnocchi in a large serving dish, then sprinkle with torn fresh basil leaves, oregano leaves or Parmesan. Serve with a fresh green salad or long green beans.

^{An extract from Minced with photography by Alan Gillard. Published by Penguin Group NZ. Copyright © Sue Hamilton and Dana Alexander, 2010. RRP $35.00. Available at all good booksellers nationwide.}