Spinach and ricotta gnocchi
One of my favourite dishes – to eat, and to cook. It’s a bit fiddly, which has made it perfect for lockdown cooking. I always start with a big bunch of spinach, stalks trimmed, and it must be well washed. One big bunch of spinach will yield about 300 (maybe a bit more) when cooked.
To cook spinach: put the washed leaves into a big saucepan, cover it, and set it over moderately low heat. Shake the pot from time to time. The leaves will wilt down, and what began as a big pot of spinach leaves ends as a pool of cooked leaves at the bottom of the pot after five or ten minutes. Dump into a colander to drain, and when the spinach is cool enough, press well with a spoon or squeeze with your hands to extract some of the liquid.
Serves four or five as a first course.
Ingredients
300g (plus) cooked spinach, finely chopped
30g butter
1 small onion, very finely chopped
90g plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
200g ricotta
110g grated parmesan
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan and add the finely chopped onion. Cook until soft and golden, then add the cooked chopped spinach. Stir well, season with salt and pepper and grated nutmeg. Keep stirring for a minute or two. (The reason is to dry out the spinach.)
Put in a bowl and allow to cool. When it is cool, add the flour and stir in well. Then add the beaten egg, and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Now add the ricotta, and stir gently until well blended. Finally, add about 90g of the grated parmesan.
The mixture can rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. You can shape the mixture into small balls with wet hands, or use a spoon.
When you’re ready, bring a big pot of water to the boil and add salt. Shape the mixture into small balls, using wet hands, or use a spoon. Drop the balls into the boiling water, about eight at a time. When they rise to the surface, they are cooked.
Lift them out, place in a buttered dish. Keep cooking them until they are all done.
They can rest in the refrigerator for a few hours (or even overnight). To serve, spoon over some fresh tomato puree, and liberally sprinkle over the remaining grated parmesan. Heat in a moderate oven until bubbly.
Note: my sister uses frozen spinach. It works for her, but it never works for me.