The Willoughton Wanderer

"Eating my way through life one bite at a time!"

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Eating my way through life one bite at a time! My Willoughton Wanderer blog tells the story of my various visits to eateries, pubs and restaurants, both good and bad, on my travels together with the occasional recipe thrown in for good measure.

Gnocchi Goes to Naples – A Gently Spicy Puttanesca Bake

Puttanesca gnocchi, baked, Mozzarella tomatoes, molten, oven proof dish.

Some dishes feel like they were made for a chilly evening, when the wind is rattling the windows and you want the comfort of something hearty but not heavy, so this is perfect for when Autumn creeps its way around the corner. This gently spicy Puttanesca baked gnocchi ticks all those boxes, and then some. It’s got the deep, savoury punch of capers, olives, and anchovies, balanced with sweet tomatoes and a warming flicker of chilli. The gnocchi soak up all that flavour before being tucked under a molten mozzarella blanket. The best part? You can have it bubbling away in the oven while you open a bottle of red and enjoy the aromas drifting through the kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • A good couple of handfuls of tomatoes coarsely chopped
  • Olive oil, for frying
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp capers, drained
  • A handful of black pitted olives finely chopped
  • Half-a-dozen anchovy fillets in oil, coarsely chopped
  • Sugar
  • 250g shop-bought gnocchi
  • A ball of mozzarella, torn

Method:

Add the oil to the pan and fry the onions off until golden, season with salt. Add the chopped tomatoes and chilli flakes and gently simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add 100ml of water and combine. Stir through the capers, olives and anchovies. Season with salt and a couple of pinches of sugar to counter the acidity of the tomatoes. Cook on a gentle heat for a further 5 minutes or so then put to one side until needed.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi. Simmer for two minutes or so until the gnocchi rise to the surface. Drain and add to the tomato sauce combining well.

Add the mixture to an ovenproof dish, add the torn mozzarella on top and season well with pepper.

Bake in a hot oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 30 minutes, or until the mozzarella is gooey and browning and then serve immediately.

By the time you bring this dish to the table, the golden mozzarella will be stretching in tempting strings, the sauce rich and inviting, and the gnocchi plump with flavour. It’s one of those meals where every forkful delivers a little burst of briny, sweet, spicy joy. Pair it with a crisp green salad or a hunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce, and you’ve got the perfect balance of comfort and zing. Proof, if it were needed, that simple ingredients – when treated with love – can deliver extraordinary results.

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