Gnocchi in a Sauce of Eggplant & Smoked Mozzarella

Ingredients:
Gnocchi Dough:
1 ½ lbs. Potatoes
3 oz. Flour
3 oz. Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 Egg Yolks
1 pinch Nutmeg

Sauce:
2 Eggplants, medium sized (cubed)
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil (less if baking eggplant)
1 onion small & chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 ½ tsp. Fresh Oregano Leaves, chopped (or ½ tsp. Dry oregano)
2 lbs Tomatoes, ripe, seeded & chopped (or canned Italian tomatoes)
¾ c Smoked Mozzarella cheese, diced
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Salt to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake potatoes, with skins, until tender (about 45 minutes). When fully baked, cool & peel. Puree potatoes through food mill (or potato ricer). Add 2 oz. Flour, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese and egg yolks and knead until a smooth mixture is formed. Sprinkle remaining flour onto work surface and roll dough into long logs. Cut logs into ¾ inch long portions and roll across the tines of a fork. 

Sauce:
Pre-heat oven to 450ºF. Sprinkle cubed eggplant with salt. Place in colander and let stand for an hour or so (if not bitter, omit salting, as salting removes bitterness). Place on paper towels to drain. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Brown eggplant on both sides. Alternately brush all sides of cubes with olive oil. Place eggplant on a cookie sheet and bake in pre-heated oven to 450ºF for 15 minutes, or until nicely brown.

Heat 2 T olive oil in a pan. Add onion and sauté until golden brown. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add tomato, fresh oregano, peperoncino & basil. Increase heat so sauce cooks at a fast bubble. Cook for 10-15 minutes; do not allow sauce to dry out. 

Bring pot of water, well salted, to boil. Cook gnocchi in boiling water until done (they will float). Remove gnocchi with a strainer and toss in sauce. Add a small amount of cooking water from gnocchi and combine well. Serve hot.