Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi With Tomato 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 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 TOMATO, MUSHROOM AND PANCETTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. In batches, add the mushrooms in a single layer and cook until the moisture releases, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Flip the mushrooms and add a drizzle of olive oil and continue cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Remove the final batch of mushrooms from the pan and add the guanciale and a drizzle of olive oil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the guanciale and set aside, but keep the fat in the pan. Add the onions, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat until translucent, 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the cooked mushrooms.
• To a large bowl, add the ricotta, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and 1/2 cup grated pecorino and mix to combine. Stir in the flour and eggs and mix until the dough comes together. It shouldn't be too wet. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface that's dusted with flour. Gently knead the dough, adding flour until it's no longer sticky and form it into a log. Sprinkle some flour onto a half sheet tray. Cut a small portion from the log of dough with a bench scraper and roll the dough into a long snake shape. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch pieces and toss in flour. Place them on the prepared sheet tray in a single layer.
• Set up a large pot of boiling water and season generously with salt. Add the gnocchi and cook until they're puffy and rise to the top of the water, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the gnocchi and place directly into the sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water and toss to combine. Add in most of the crispy guanciale (leave some extra for garnish) and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of pecorino. Add a nice big fat drizzle of finishing oil and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining crispy guanciale, more Parmesan, pecorino and the chives.

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.

GNOCCHI WITH CREAMY TOMATO & SPINACH SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the garlic until golden, then add the tomatoes. Season, then simmer for 10 mins. Stir in mascarpone, then cook for 2 mins more.
• Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi according to pack instructions. Add the spinach for the final min of cooking. Drain well, pour back into the pan, then stir the sauce through. Mix well and serve immediately with basil leaves and Parmesan shavings scattered over, if you like.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Squeeze the spinach completely dry, in small handfuls, over a bowl. Transfer the spinach to a food processor. Add the ricotta, 2/3 cup Parmesan, they egg yolk and 2 tablespoons flour; pulse until the spinach is very finely chopped and the mixture is thoroughly combined.
• Lightly dust your hands with flour so the mixture doesn't stick to your hands.
• Scoop 1 teaspoon of the spinach mixture and roll into a ball. Place on a plate and cover with wax paper or parchment. Repeat with the remaining mixture. You should have about 40 gnocchi.
• Working in batches, boil the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, about 3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon or mesh spider and transfer to a plate or bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan, let cool slightly and serve.