Quick Gnocchi with Tomato & Basil Sauce

After Rachel commented that she'd had Gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce, I looked up what gnocchi is and decided to make some. We had some friends over for dinner, one of which has had plenty of gnocchi and she said that mine stacked up against the rest well for a first time making it. Our other guest said he thought it was good whether or not it was my first time. But I don't think he's had much gnocchi experience, so he might have just been complementing his host.

I used this recipe, which uses instant potato flakes, to save time. I used fresh crushed garlic instead of powder and fresh basil instead of dried parsley. I don't know if I'll ever try this recipe, which starts with potatoes, but I did use a lot of the technique described in that recipe, and so I think it's a useful read.

Here you can see (clockwise from 1 o'clock, amongst other things) gnocchi that has been cut and curled, rolled out in a "snake" waiting to be cut, and still in chunks waiting to be rolled out.

We ate the gnocchi with the tomato and basil sauce that we normally have with spaghetti, because one of our guests wasn't too keen on cheesy sauces.

I curled most of the gnocchi but my friend said she didn't remember the gnocchi she's had being curled, so cooked some without curling as well. They're mixed on the plate here. I didn't really notice too much of a difference, so in the future I'll probably curl them for fun if I have the time, and eat without curling when I need this meal a little quicker.

We had salad as a side, which was actually really nice to eat with the gnocchi because it gave it a bit more texture, and the Paul Newman Balsamic Vinaigrette was appreciated of course too.