Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place the garlic, cut-side up, on a piece of foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt. Wrap the foil around the garlic and place it on a baking sheet.

Transfer to the oven for 30–35 minutes. You can roast longer–up to 60 minutes–for a more robust flavor, but be careful not to burn it! Check them after 30 minutes and in 10-minute intervals to achieve your desired roast level.

Remove the garlic from the oven and open the foil. Let cool. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, carefully pop the cloves from the paper. Mash the garlic into a paste and transfer to a small bowl.

Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 5–6 minutes over medium heat. Season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper to taste.

Add the sweet vermouth to the pot and bring to a boil. Let the vermouth bubble rapidly in the pot for 3–5 minutes to reduce it by half.

Add the chopped tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, thyme sprigs, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir in the garlic paste and bring to a boil. See note.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes until thick. Stir periodically. If the sauce sticks or reduces too quickly, add a splash of water. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Discard the spent thyme sprigs.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float. Scoop out ½ cup of the cooking water and then drain the gnocchi. Do not rinse them.

Add the gnocchi and the grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Toss to coat, adding as much gnocchi water as needed to coat them. Taste and season. Turn off the heat.

Divide the gnocchi between shallow bowls. Garnish with more grated Parmesan cheese and scatter a few fresh basil leaves on top. A few cracks of black pepper would also be delicious. Enjoy!