Recipes Nugget Markets Signature Recipes
Gnocchi with Italian Sausage & Olive Ragu
- Prep time
- 20 minutes PT20M
- Cook time
- 35 minutes PT35M
- Yield
- Serves 4-5
- Difficulty
Ingredients
- ½ to ¾ lb. Nugget's Fresh To Market Mild Italian Sausage
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5-6 red pearl onions, peeled and sliced in half, lengthwise
- 5-6 small vine-ripened tomatoes, diced small
- ½ red bell pepper, diced small
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup Kalamata olive meat, lightly chopped
- 1½ teaspoons capers, minced
- ½ cup Mizithra cheese, grated
- Kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 package gnocchi
Preparation
Pour olive oil into a medium-sized skillet; place it on the stovetop over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to simmer, pull "cherry-sized" pieces from the sausage and carefully add them to the hot oil. Cook sausage for 6 minutes; move the pieces around the pan with a spoon so they cook evenly. Drop the onions into the sausage, cooking them until they begin to blister and brown.
Next, add all of the tomatoes and red bell pepper; cook 4-5 minutes, then pour in the wine. Cook mixture for 15 minutes; stir occassionally. Finish the ragu by adding both the black olives and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dried black olives and capers are salty by nature; take care not to add too much salt.
Boil water for gnocchi in an 8-quart stockpot, add gnocchi and cook 6-8 minutes (gnocchi will float to the top when finished cooking). Immediately pour gnocchi into a colander and strain, then transfer to ragu and quickly toss together with a spoon. Divide evenly among 4 or 5 plates; top each with a generous sprinkle of Mizithra cheese and serve.
A light salad, crusty loaf of Ciabatta and a bottle of Sangiovese completes the meal.
Pair with
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Sangiovese
Responsible for the three great wines of Tuscany: Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino, Sangiovese is Italy's most famous grape.
