Gnocchi with Leonida's Sauce

Cara gave me a Biba Caggiano cookbook for my 25th birthday.  So many years later, it is filled with dog-eared, sauce stained pages.  We tried another Biba recipe tonight, and it was great.  Simple and great.  Here it is (I modified it very, very slightly, as noted below)

Gnocchi with Leonida's Sauce
1 lb Gnocchi
1 T Olive Oil and 1 T unsalted butter (original called for 4 T unsalted butter)
1 small onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 pound pancetta, cut into 4 thick slices, diced (I used 4 oz. pre-diced from Heinens)
1 cup dry white wine (Mark opened Toasted Head chardonnay)
3 T tomato paste mixed with 2 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned (I used boxed stock; next time, I may substitute with a can of whole tomatoes, pureed)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 T heavy cream (I used 3 T fat-free half-and-half)
1/2 t freshley grated nutmeg
1 C freshly grated parmigiano

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes stirring a few times.  Add the garlic and pancetta and cook, stirring, untill the pancetta is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the wine and cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.  Add the tomato paste and broth and season with the salt and a pinch of pepper.  Cook, uncovered, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring a few times.  During the last minute or so of cooking, add the cream and nutmeg and stir once or twice. 

While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add 1 T of salt and the gnocchi.  Cook uncovered, over high heat, until the gnocchi rise to the surface of the water against the side of the pot.  Place the gnocchi in the skillet with the sauce and mix briefly over low heat.  Serve at once with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated parmigiano.

(NOTES:  1.  Next time, we will eat this with good bread to mop up the sauce.  2.  This tastes best after the sauce has cooled just slightly.  3.  This was great with our House Salad:  Romaine, cranberry, toasted walnuts, blue cheese and oil and balsamic vinegar.)