Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Recipe for Spinach Gnocchi


Time: about 30 minutes, active plus 2 hours rest time
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 10 ounce box of frozen spinach, defrosted and wrung out in paper towels until very dry
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup AP flour, divided
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more (coarsely grated) for serving
  • Marinara sauce for serving
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

  • Saute the spinach in the oil and butter with the nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Once warmed, add half of the flour and all of the ricotta and stir briskly for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and beat in the Parmesan and eggs.
  • Let cool briefly and then cover and place in fridge for 2 hours.
  • Place a large piece of parchment down on the counter and put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
  • Warm the marinara sauce to a gentle simmer.
  • While the water comes to a boil, flour your hands and the parchment well and take handfuls of the dough and roll out into tube shapes.
  • Snip or cut the tubes into 1 inch pieces (it's sticky, use plenty of flour).
  • Drop the gnocchi into the gently boiling water in batches and set the timer to 4 minutes once they rise to the top.
  • Once each batch is cooked, keep warm in an oiled bowl (I kept mine in the microwave, turned off).
  • When all are ready, serve topped with sauce and the coarsely grated Parmesan.