I have been looking at the gnocchi roller for months. It’s a Mucca Rigagnocchi Gnocchi Rolling Machine from Fante’s in South Philly. Fante’s has always been a pilgrimage site for me. I love the place and can get lost in there – and spend lots of dollars even at their really reasonable prices. The place is fun. I finally decided that it was our legal wedding anniversary so I bought it as a gift for Victor. So he could make me dinner. I’m thoughtful like that!

Mucca means cow in Italian. How or why this thing is shaped like and named after a cow is beyond me – but it rolls an excellent gnocchi!

Of course, you can roll a perfect looking gnocchi – the art is making the dough. Victor is an artist!

The basic is a baked potato that has been riced, flour, an egg, a pinch of salt, and a bit of grated parmesan cheese. He doesn’t have exact measurements because every potato is different. You mix the egg, potato, and a handful of flour together and then add the cheese and slowly add flour until the dough feels right. Vague, I know, but every batch is just a bit different. When you’ve made it a few times, you learn the feel.

I used the last eggplant from the garden for the sauce – 1 eggplant, cubed and fried with onions and garlic, red wine, salt, pepper, hot sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano… and sun-dried tomato sausage I grilled and then sliced into the sauce.

The gnocchi were like little pillows – soft and delicate – the sauce was really rich and flavorful. I made enough sauce for dinner and a big batch to freeze for another day.

Maybe with the Candele Pasta…