When we lived in Boston we used to go to this little pasta place in Brookline called Bottega Fiorentina. If you are ever in Boston, I'd highly recommend it. It is a small Italian grocery that makes about 20 different homemade pastas and serves lunch, usually for less than $10. We took Dan's Mom there one time and she got something along the lines of this, tomato basil pasta with ooey gooey pockets of mozzarella mixed in. It passed the test of the true Italians and was delicious, so I've tried to recreate it. The mozzarella does tend to clump together, but I like the way the cheese melts and makes the tomato juice nice and thick. I even taught my Mom to make it and she loved it too, so I consider that a success. It takes maybe 15 minutes to make and would be a great side with salmon or chicken for all non vegetarians.
Ingredients:
Two cans of tomatoes, with juice. (Plain or italian seasoning)
One package of gnocchi
8 oz of mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Handful of fresh basil, chopped (You can substitute a tablespoon of basil in a tube if basil is not in season)
salt and pepper to taste
two cloves of garlic
tablespoon of olive oil
Boil water. Add gnocchi and cook according to the package directions.
Put the olive oil in a sautee pan and add the garlic. Sautee for one or two minutes. Add the cans of tomatoes. Add basil and simmer. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. (I often use the italian seasoned canned tomatoes.) You should cook your tomatoes about five minutes or as long as you need for them to really absorb the basil. When I use fresh basil I normally do about 10 minutes.
Drain gnocchi. Mix the gnocchi into the pan with the tomatoes. Add mozzarella. Remove from heat and let it sit for two minutes while the cheese melts a little bit. You can cook it a little longer over heat if you want really melt-y cheese.
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