Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi With Garlic Sauce Recipes

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot salted water to a boil.
• Cut the stems off the spinach, and soak the leaves in the sink. Wash them thoroughly.
• Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove spinach from the water and plunge in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
• Drain the spinach very well, and using a clean tea towel, squeeze out the extra water. Chop the leaves very fine.
• Put the cooked spinach in a large bowl, add the ricotta, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, egg yolks, and season with a couple pinches salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, and make sure that the ricotta crumbles into fine pieces, and mixes properly with the spinach. Shape the mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.
• Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish, lay all the gnocchi in it, and dress it with a few very thin slices butter and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Cook the gnocchi at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, and then use the broiler for the last 5 minutes to crisp and brown the top of the spinach balls.
• In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, and saute the sage until it starts to brown. Serve the gnocchi on a warm plate and dress with the sage-butter sauce, and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH QUICK TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Unwrap the ricotta cheese from the cheesecloth; the texture should be pretty dry and crumbly. If it is really dry (this is good) pass it through the food mill with the biggest holes. Put the cheese into a large bowl.
• Finely chop the squeezed spinach and add it to the ricotta. Add the eggs, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and nutmeg. Mix until well combined. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Add in 1/4 cup of flour. If the mixture is still very wet, add in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.
• Dust a sheet tray generously with flour. Coat another sheet tray generously with semolina flour. Fill a pastry bag with the ricotta/spinach mixture. Pipe 1 1/2-inch balls of the cheese mixture onto the all-purpose flour lined tray. Shake the tray around to coat the balls in flour. Roll each flour coated cheese piece around in your hand to form a ball. Do this gently so as to not squish the cheese balls. Arrange them on the semolina lined tray.
• Bring a saucepan full of water to a boil over medium heat. Set up a bowl of ice water. In the bottom of each tomato cut an "X" in the skin. Working in batches, put the tomatoes in the boiling water for 15 to 20 seconds ONLY! Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and put them immediately into the ice water. When the tomatoes have cooled, remove them from the ice water and the skin should come off very easily.
• Remove the stems and seeds from the tomatoes; coarsely chop the tomatoes and reserve.
• Coat a large straight-sided saute pan, over medium-high heat, with olive oil. Add the onions, season with salt, to taste. Toss in the crushed red pepper and cook the onions until they are soft and aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt, to taste. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Toss in the basil just before serving.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat until the water is at a simmer. Carefully add the gnocchi to the simmering water. Cook until the gnocchi float and have begun to swell, 3 to 5 minutes.
• On individual serving plates, spoon some sauce on each plate and spread it out until it becomes a 4 to 5-inch circle.
• Using a spider or long handled mesh strainer, carefully remove the gnocchi from the cooking water, blot on a tea towel and arrange 5 gnocchi on each circle of sauce. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

SPINACH RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• in a 9- to 10-inch heavy skillet cook garlic and onion in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add tomatoes with reserved juice, wine, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Make gnocchi while sauce is cooking:
• In a small saucepan combine spinach with 1/2 cup water and simmer, covered, breaking up with a fork occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain spinach in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool. Squeeze spinach in a small handfuls until as dry as possible and chop fine.
• In a 5-quart saucepan bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil for cooking gnocchi. Set broiler rack about 4 inches form heat and preheat broiler.
• In a bowl stir together spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan, yolk, 2 tablespoons flour, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste until combined well (mixture will be very soft). With well-floured hands form rounded tablespoons of mixture into logs about 2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter (about 18) and transfer gnocchi as formed to a sheet of wax paper.
• Working in 2 batches, carefully transfer gnocchi with a spatula to boiling water and cook until they rise to surface, about 2 minutes. Transfer gnocchi as cooked with a slotted spoon to a buttered shallow baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Broil gnocchi until very hot and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Serve gnocchi with tomato sauce.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH SPINACH & GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Scrub and pierce potatoes. Bake at 400° for 50-55 minutes or until tender. Peel potatoes; press through a potato ricer or strainer into a large bowl. Cool slightly., Add ricotta and Romano cheeses, oil and salt to potato pulp; beat on low speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Add flour; mix well. On a lightly floured surface, knead 10-12 times, forming a soft dough., Divide dough into 16 portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 1/2-in.-thick rope; cut into 3/4-in. pieces. Press and roll each piece with a lightly floured fork., In a Dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Cook gnocchi in batches until they float, 30-60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm., In a large saucepan, combine the squash, basil, water, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until squash is tender, 4-6 minutes. , Stir in cream and Gorgonzola. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Add spinach; cook until spinach is wilted. Serve with gnocchi.