‘Pan Con Tomate’ Baked Gnocchi Mac n Cheese

The most simple Catalonian snack/tapas item, pan con tomate—toasted bread rubbed with garlic, tomatoes, and salt—has made its way to a pasta dish. Baked gnocchi mac and cheese to be exact.

I don’t have much to say about this dish except that the gnocchi are pillowy and soft, the sauce is cheesy (3 cheeses cheesy), and it’s all swimming in a fresh tomato-garlic sauce and topped with a crunchy-salty breadcrumb topping.

It’s a bit time intensive if you make the gnocchi homemade, but it can easily be substituted with premade gnocchi.

‘Pan Con Tomate’ Style Baked Gnocchi Mac n Cheese

Serves 6 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1.5 hours

Gnocchi*:

·       5 Russet potatoes

·       1 tbs. salt

·       3 egg yolks

·       2 cups flour, plus more for rolling

*Can substitute for premade gnocchi and proceed with the rest of the mac and cheese.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Poke holes into the cleaned and dried potatoes, wrap them in foil, and place on a sheet tray to bake until the potatoes are completely fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Keep the oven on.

Meanwhile make the tomato-garlic sauce and the breadcrumb topping (see recipes below).

Remove potatoes from oven and foil once cooked. Set aside to cool enough to touch. Remove potatoes from skin and press through a potato ricer or food mill. Form into an even rectangle and let sit to cool completely. Once cooled, add the egg yolks and salt on top, sprinkle the flour over, and use a bench or bowl scraper to chop the flour and egg into the potatoes. You can use your hands if you don’t have a bench scraper, but using your hands more will create a tougher gnocchi. Once the mixture has come to a shaggy dough, use your hands to knead the dough into a smooth ball, stopping as soon as it comes together and is smooth—be careful not to overwork the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough into 10 pieces and roll out each piece to about a 1-1.5 inch thick log. Cut the pieces into 3/4 / 1 inch pieces and set aside on a floured sheet tray. Repeat the process until all dough is used.

Let the gnocchi rest while making the cheese sauce (see recipe below).

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi until they rise to the top of the water, then remove and strain. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and finish off the tomato sauce by simmering it until the water reduces and binds the sauce. Fold the gnocchi into the cheese sauce. In a 12-inch cast-iron pan or baking dish, layer the tomato sauce on the bottom, add a drizzle of olive oil, layer the gnocchi on top, and then finish with the breadcrumbs and another drizzle of olive oil. Bake in the oven until golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cheese Sauce:

·       4 tbs. butter

·       4 tbs. all-purpose flour

·       2 cups milk

·       1/8 tsp. fresh-grated nutmeg

·       1 tsp. salt

·       ¼ tsp. paprika

·       6 oz. Tetilla cheese*

·       6 oz. Aruza Ulloa cheese*

·       4 oz. Manchego cheese

*Can substitute these 2 cheeses for soft melting cheeses of choice like fontina, mozzerella, mild white cheddar or other Spanish soft cheeses

Scald the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat and set aside.

Make a white roux by melting the butter in a sauce pan and whisking in the flour until thick and pasty. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Ladle in a little bit of the warm milk and whisk until incorporated and there are no lumps. Continue doing this until all the milk is incorporated. Season with salt and nutmeg. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until thickened and the raw flour taste is gone, stirring every few minutes to keep the bottom of the pan from burning. Remove from heat and fold in the cheese until melted. Season with paprika and more salt to taste.

Tomato-Garlic Sauce:

·       1 pint cherry tomatoes

·       4 garlic cloves – crushed and thinly sliced

·       2 tbs. tomato paste

·       ¼ cup olive oil

·       1 tbs. balsamic vinegar

·       2 tsp. salt

·       1 cup chicken stock

·       Black pepper and crushed red pepper (optional) to taste

Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Heat a skillet with oil and add in the garlic, stirring until fragrant but not colored. Add in the tomatoes and salt, keeping the heat on high to get slight color on the tomatoes and garlic. Deglaze with balsamic, turn the heat down to medium, stir in the tomato paste, stirring well for 1 minute. Add in the chicken stock, let simmer and reduce, season with pepper, and add salt to taste. Finish with ½ cup reserved pasta water. Reduce and simmer again to bind together, adding more if needed.

Breadcrumb Topping:

·       1 cup lightly toasted breadcrumbs from sourdough, French loaf, Italian loaf, or ciabatta bread OR 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

·       2 tbs. butter

·       ½ tsp. paprika

·       ½ tsp. oregano

·       ½ tsp. garlic powder

·       1/3 cup grated hard Fontina, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

·       Salt to taste

Melt butter in a wide skillet to have an even layer of breadcrumbs. Add in the breadcrumbs and and spices. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from heat and fold in the grated cheese. Set aside until ready to compile the gnocchi.