Sugo Finto

{Fake Ragu} To get the perfect texture, you need to chop the soffritto (onion, carrot and celery) a little chunkier than usual so they’ll still hold their shape once cooked. The sundried tomatoes, red wine and the whole peeled tomatoes give the sauce its rich flavour.

Ingredients

4 sticks of celery
1 onion
3 carrots
2 garlic cloves
20g each of parsley and basil
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp tomato paste
100ml red wine
1 cup 1/2 vegetable stock
Olive oil
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
500gm potato gnocchi
3 sundried tomatoes

Method

• Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, season lightly with salt, cover, and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, about 10 minutes, lowering heat as needed to prevent browning. Stir in carrots and celery, and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add chopped garlic and chopped herbs to vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste, then add in wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pot. Cook until wine is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes and the stock. Bring sauce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until thickened to a saucy consistency. 
• Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi following the instructions on the packet, drain and add to the sauce.