Farmer’s gnocchi (ladeddos del contadino)

This is a quick and comforting pasta sauce for a cold day. It has the richness of a ragu but without the need to spend too long in front of your stove. It’s also a great way to introduce more beans and legumes into your diet – a staple of Sardinian cuisine. Here it is paired with ladeddos – the Sardinian version of potato gnocchi – but you can also pair it with your favourite short pasta shape.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

This dish celebrates the work of the farmers and is a great example of a cucina povera dish in Sardinia.

Ingredients

Ladeddos (potato gnocchi)

• 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) floury (starchy) potatoes, cleaned well (try to use potatoes of a similar size)
• 300 g (10½ oz) semolina flour (semola rimacinata), plus extra for dusting
• fine sea salt

Sauce

• 200 g (7 oz) dried borlotti (cranberry) beans (soaked overnight) or 400 g (14 oz)
• tin of borlotti beans, drained
• 100 g (3½ oz) smoked pancetta, chopped
• 400 g (14 oz) sweet and ripe tomatoes (or tinned chopped tomatoes if not in season)
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs sage, leaves finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 200 ml (scant 1 cup) water
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) laddedos or other potato gnocchi
• extra virgin olive oil
• fine sea salt and freshly
• ground black pepper
• grated pecorino, to serve (optional)

Soaking time: overnight (if using dried beans).

Instructions

1. For the sauce: If using dried beans, rinse them under running water, then place in a large bowl, cover with water and leave to soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans and rinse them again under running water. Fill a large saucepan with cold water, add the beans and bring to the boil. Cook for 1–2 hours over a low heat until soft.
2. For the ladeddos: Put the potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with cold water (see Note). Bring to the boil, then cook for 30–45 minutes until a fork or knife slides all the way through with no resistance. If some are ready before others, take them out and set them aside. Leave the potatoes to cool and steam-dry (this will remove any excess moisture), then remove the skins.
3. Using a potato ricer or masher, rice the potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the semolina and season well with salt. With clean hands, squeeze the mixture together until there is no more dry flour. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead for a few minutes until it comes together. You shouldn’t need extra semolina at this point, but depending on the potatoes, you may need to add a little more if the dough is still a bit too sticky. Stop kneading the dough as soon as it comes together – the more you work it, the stickier it will become, and you’ll end up adding too much flour. Use a dough scraper to help you gather bits of dough and flour from your work surface. Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with a clean dish towel and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
4. Once rested, divide the dough into four equal pieces. Sprinkle a bit of semolina on the work surface and roll each piece into a sausage about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick. Gently pat each one a little to make it flat, then use a knife or a dough scraper to cut off 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces on the diagonal, creating rhombus shapes. As you go, transfer the ladeddos to a large tray dusted with semolina. Keep them covered with a dry dish towel or cling film (plastic wrap). Use on the same day or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
5. Continue the sauce: Put the pancetta into a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until golden and crispy. If using fresh tomatoes, dice them and remove the cores. Make sure to reserve all the juice to use in the sauce.
6. Add the shallot to the pan with the pancetta and add a drizzle of oil if needed, then cook for 2 minutes before adding the sage and garlic and continue cooking for 1–2 minutes, stirring often to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the water and the cooked borlotti beans. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken and has the consistency and richness of a ragu.
7. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the ladeddos or gnocchi. They are ready as soon as they float to the top of the water. At the same time, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Drain the ladeddos, reserving a cup of the water. Add the ladeddos to the sauce and stir well. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the water to loosen it, or if it’s too thin, carry on cooking it until it reduces slightly. Divide the laddedos and sauce between plates and serve immediately, sprinkled with pecorino if you wish.

Note

• Starting the potatoes in cold water ensures that they cook evenly all the way through. If you drop them directly into boiling water, the outside may cook too quickly while the inside remains hard. The best potatoes to use are old potatoes as they contain less water, which means you will use less flour, making the gnocchi nice and soft.
• The ladeddos recipe may make more than you need for this dish. Ladeddos can also be served with a simple tomato sauce or meat ragu.

This is an edited extract from Eat Like A Sardinian by Francesco Mattana, photography by Dave Brown. (Murdoch Books $45.00) 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.