. No, this isn’t something to do with the Child Support Agency. It’s actually Community Supported Agriculture . This is a new-ish (well new in the UK at least) way of linking the community with the place where their food comes from. It could be a box scheme, or sponsoring an orchard in which you get a certain proportion of fruit each year. You might receive a reduction if you go and help weed the land or harvest the crops too. The Soil Association has a lot more information on their website about this.

I really like the idea of CSA. It’s something that could work in lots of situations in the UK. The favourite one I’ve seen so far is where you can buy a share in a cow and get 4kg of cheese each year. If you invest £500 in the cow then you get the equivalent of 8% “interest” on your cash. Personally I’d rather have cheese, It’ll probably be worth more than cash sooner rather than later (infact you can’t eat a £10 note can you?)

So back to the food anyway…

Leanne gave it 10 out of 10. Which I was a bit shocked about. As you may know, I never give a ten. There is always some room for improvement. And for this meal I’d probably have given it about 8.5. I reckon the bits of gnocchi needed to be slightly smaller and there wasn’t quite enough tomato sauce (I let it simmer for too long and it reduced). This recipe makes more than enough for 2 people! I found it best to cook the gnocchi in 3-4 goes and let the cooked gnocchi drip in a colander or sieve.

But I did really enjoy it, it’s a nice autumn meal. A little bit stodgy but quick and easy to make. Give it a whirl! (This is the first time I’ve ever written my “own” interpretation of a recipe out so I hope it makes sense)…

Tomato Sauce

• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 2 garlic gloves, finely sliced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• good knob of butter
• 500g of Passata
• Salt To Taste

Gnocci

• 1/2 kg (1lb-ish) potatoes (floury best) keep skins on so scrub em
• 250g (1/2 lb) plain flour (may need slightly more depending on spuds)
• pinch of salt

To serve

• freshly chopped basil
• Parmesan cheese grated

1. You can make the sauce and gnocchi at once
2. Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender (15-20 mins)
3. At same time start cooking onions and garlic in oil and butter until tender
4. Add Passata, salt and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep on low heat and stir regularly
5. When potatoes done, drain, allow to cool slightly, remove skins and mash well.
6. When the mash has cooled further, incorporate flour into the mash with your hands
7. Work the dough on a floured work surface until you have a firm and smooth dough (not sticky)
8. Roll out dough into sausage shapes and cut pieces about 3cm x 2cm big
9. Roll the gnochhi over the inside of a fork to get a pattern
10. Place the gnocchi in boiling salted water. It should float to the surface. Leave them for another minute to cook through.
11. Take cooked gnocchi out of the water and mix with tomato sauce, basil and parmesan.

So that’s it. I hope you give the dish a go and let me know how it went!