Gnocchi with fresh, hearty tomato and pepper sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g gnocchi
• 400 g tomatoes, peeled from the can (including juice)
• 500 g bell pepper(s) (red and/or yellow – equivalent to 4 normal-sized peppers)
• 200 g bacon (belly bacon)
• 10 clove(s) garlic, (approx. 1 bulb)
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil)
• some oregano, dried
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

If you like, you can significantly reduce the amount of garlic in this dish, but I recommend trying my recipe (which I brought back from Italy) at least once. Place the peppers in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius (top and bottom heat) and braise for about 20 minutes, until the skin turns noticeably brown (it can be darker). The peppers will soften and the skin will separate from the flesh. Remove the peppers from the oven and peel off the skin as thoroughly as possible. Remove the stem, cut open the peppers, and remove all seeds and innards. Cut the remaining flesh into 1-3 cm wide squares and set aside. Peel and dice the onion. Dice the bacon as well. Cut 5 garlic cloves into approximately 1 mm thick slices with a sharp knife. Pour the olive oil into a small-medium saucepan, heat it (not too hot; if the olive oil starts to smoke, it’s overheated and harmful), and fry the diced onions, sliced ​​garlic, and bacon. When the onions are noticeably translucent after a while, add the tomatoes and their juices to the pan. If the tomatoes are still whole, roughly crush them with a wooden spoon into approximately 3 cm pieces (do not puree them!). Add all the bell peppers. Using a sharp knife, cut the remaining 5 garlic cloves into 4 large pieces per clove and add them to the sauce. Simmer the sauce over low-medium heat until it thickens (about 20 minutes). Don’t forget to stir regularly; don’t let it burn! Add the basil and oregano to the sauce. Add 1-3 pinches of cayenne pepper to the sauce. If you don’t want to go wrong, season to taste: always add a pinch of pepper to the sauce, taste, and adjust the seasoning accordingly. If the sauce tastes spicy in your mouth, you’ve reached the right amount. Don’t worry, the mixture with the gnocchi will take the heat back down a bit at the end. (Just in case: If the sauce becomes too spicy, add a little sweet cream). Boil the pasta water and cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions. Do not add any oil to the pasta water and do not rinse the gnocchi after draining. Either place the gnocchi on a plate and pour the sauce on top, or (the Italian version) mix the entire sauce with the pasta and then portion them out. Before serving, drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of cold olive oil (virgin and cold-pressed) and, if you like, garnish with 2 fresh basil leaves for a more eye-catching look.