Potato Gnocchi with Vegetarian Ragù

If possible, please select potatoes that are white or yellow inside, as those are the potatoes that have a higher starch level.  Also use potatoes that are somewhat older, as new potatoes have a higher water content.

Wash the potatoes well, and place in boiling water.  Please try to select and use potatoes that are all more or less the same size (so they take about the same amount of time to boil properly).  Try to boil gently so the peels don't break off the potatoes.  Cook for about 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender in the center.

Remove from heat, and peel potatoes once they're cool enough to handle.  Using a potato masher, squash potato pulp.  

On a wooden cutting board, place your flour in a heaping mound shape.  Quickly and decisively add the potato mash and 3 pinches of salt to the flour and blend thoroughly (gently and quickly blend together).  Don't use too much pressure to force the mixture together.

If your dough seems to be overly sticky, this might indicate the potatoes contained too much water in the pulp.  In this case, you can add more flour to the mixture, being sure to blend well (see note above).  Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes on the cutting board.  Cut off a section of the dough, and roll out into a long log.  Cut the log into pieces measuring 2cm long.   Dust the pieces with additional flour over the tops, and place on a tray with a well-floured kitchen towel over the top of the pieces.  Allow to rest approximately 15 minutes. 

Peel the carrots and onion and dice both into fairly small cubes.  Wash the celery and also dice into fairly small cubes. 

Finely mince peeled garlic cloves.  In a sauce pan, heat a few tablespoons olive oil until hot.  Add prepared carrots, onion, celery and garlic to pan. 
Heat over medium heat for 7 minutes, being careful not to burn the vegetables. 

Once vegetables have turned slightly brown in color, salt to taste and add tomato puree and aromatic herbs.  Lower heat, stir well and allow to cook for approximately 20 minutes from when the tomato begins to boil. 

The sauce should boil very slowly, and during the last 5 minutes of cooking, add another pinch of salt.  Once completed, check for taste.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. When boiling, add gnocchi and cook them until they start floating to the top.

Serve with the sauce, mix gently so the gnocchi don't break.