Gnocchi is relatively easy to make yourself, however, whenever we make this recipe, we all remember The great Gnocchi incident. My advice is to make sure you have enough time to put it all together. When preparation goes smoothly, these light-as-air gnocchi are nice with either Fresh Tomato Sauce or Gorgonzozla Sauce. Serves 6
Fresh Tomato Sauce, heated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 12 oz. spinach, trimmed (1 cup cooked)
- 12 oz. ricotta, well drained in sieve
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- pinch grated nutmeg
- ½ cup flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup mashed potato
- salt and ground black pepper
Prepare tomato sauce, then make gnocchi:
Heat oil with garlic and spinach. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes until spinach has wilted. Squeeze out all liquid and chop finely. Combine with other ingredients, season to taste.
Chill mixture for 30 minutes. Turn out onto a well-floured board. Divide into 4 (mixture will be very soft but just manageable, if it is too sloppy to handle, add a little more flour).
Use extra flour to roll each piece into a 1-inch thick log about 16 inches long. Cut each into 1-inch pieces. Roll in a little extra flour to prevent sticking. Cook about 15 at a time in a large pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Scoop out with slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish. Keep warm.
When all gnocchi is cooked, spoon hot tomato sauce over and serve.
Hot Tomato Sauce
Puree 1 lb. 4 oz. sweet tomatoes, chopped; 1 large clove garlic, peeled; salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Transfer to a pot, add 8-10 torn basil leaves, simmer for minutes.
Source: Savour Italy: A Discovery of Taste, Annabel Langbein, Graphic Arts Center Publishing
