Monday, June 29, 2009

Okay, are you ready to cook?

Spinach and ricotta gnocchi. I saw this recipe in the Sunday paper and made it tonight. It's delicious!

350g ricotta cheese
150g spinach (I used baby spinach leaves), blanched and finely chopped
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Mix these all together in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper and a good pinch of nutmeg.
Slowly mix in 1/2 cup of flour
Mix together to make a soft, sticky dough.
Divide the dough into 2. (or 4)
Roll each half, (or quarter), on a lightly floured board, into long, sausage shapes - I made mine about 1/2 inch thick. Then cut them into pieces about an inch or so long.
Boil plenty of salted water.
Drop the gnocchi in gently and boil till they rise to the surface. Boil for another 1 to 2 minutes. No longer - otherwise the gnocchi can get a bit rubbery.
I did them in two batches - too many in the pot and they don't all rise properly. I kept the first batch warm in the oven - in a shallow dish with a nob of butter to stop them sticking.
Serve with sauce of your choice - I used a pre-made Basil and Red Wine tomato pasta sauce to which I added extra wine, garlic, dried mixed herbs and black pepper. I heated that through while the gnocchi cooked.
Yummo!
I made just enough to feed three people - a salad would have finished it off nicely. But I didn't think of that.

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