Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
Category: Recipes Tags: gnocchi, parmesan, ricotta, simplyrecipes.com, Spinach
Even the picture isn’t pretty
Spinach + ricotta + gnocchi– sounds delicious, right? That’s what I thought when I found this recipe on SimplyRecipes.com . I’ve made potato gnocchi before, and have run into the “this chews more like a dough ball than a delicious dough pillow” issue, so upon reading, I was enticed by the author’s promise of ricotta making the gnocchi more forgiving.
I’m going to level with you: this did not turn out well. At all. That’s probably my fault– I accidentally picked up skim ricotta instead of whole milk, and I only used 1/2 the amount of ricotta the recipe called for. I also inadvertently used too much flour. I’m sure all of these things combined to make an epically dreadful gnocchi.
I’m posting this anyway, A: because I promised I would on Facebook before actually trying it out, and B: because I encourage you to try the recipe as it appears on SimplyRecipes.com , or even try my recipe below, but use the proper ingredients/measurements!
Let me know how your version goes!
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
Source: Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com.
Makes: Two servings
Takes: About 45 Minutes, Including Prep
Ingredients
- (GNOCCHI) a bunch of fresh spinach; the original recipe calls for 3oz
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 pounds whole milk ricotta cheese, drained of excess moisture (I used skim, and only 1/2 the amount- BIG MISTAKE)
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- tiny pinch of cinnamon
- (SAUCE) 1 28-ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- salt to taste
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- a bit of white wine
- pepper to taste
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Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and heat until simmering. Add spinach and cook about 1 minute, till bright. Drain and cool spinach to touch, then squeeze as much moisture as you can out of it; I literally rang it out with paper towels.
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Add the spinach [chopped], egg, salt, and half of the ricotta to a bowl and mix well, or, add to a food processor and pulse till blended. The original recipe calls for a food processor, but I don’t own one! If you do use a food processor, there’s no need to chop. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, stir in the remaining ricotta and parmesan. Stir a scant pinch of cinnamon into the flour. Add the flour and mix everything with your hands until the mixture holds together as a dough
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Set the dough out on a lightly floured smooth, clean surface. Knead lightly for about a minute, adding additional flour if needed, if the dough sticks too easily to the board or your hands. Careful with the flour– I overdid the salt, and it was a bit dry. Divide the dough into 4 balls, each about the size of an orange.
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Set the dough out on a lightly floured smooth, clean surface. Knead lightly for about a minute, adding additional flour if needed, if the dough sticks too easily to the board or your hands. Careful with the flour– I overdid the salt, and it was a bit dry. Divide the dough into 4 balls, each about the size of an orange.
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Flour your hands lightly. Using both hands, gently roll the dough out with a rapid back and forth motion, starting at the center and stretching the dough out, to form a rope of dough. Roll to about a foot long; repeat with all portions. Cut the ropes into one-inch pieces, and imprint each cut with the back of a fork to create the signature gnocchi ridging.
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Fill a medium or large pot halfway with water. Bring your water to a boil, and salt. Once you hit a rolling boil, carefully drop your gnocchi into the water, keeping space between each. The gnocchi is done cooking when the pillows raise to the top. Place in a serving bowl, and toss with a few sprinkles of parmesan.
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For the sauce, heat olive oil in a pan and add your crushed garlic cloves. Heat cloves on both sides to release the oils, and remove. Add your can of diced tomatoes, and heat for about 4 or 5 minutes on medium-to-low temperature. Add a bit of wine– I eyeballed my pour to taste– and continue to reduce until the sauce is thick. Add salt to taste. Melt in the goat cheese. To add a little extra tomato oomph, add in a few dollops of tomato paste, a bit more wine, and a bit more cheese.
Stir the gnocchi into the sauce, top with black pepper and more parmesan. In theory, this dish should have been delicious. Frankly, the sauce was amazing, but the texture of the gnocchi was awful; it was mealy, almost like chewing flour. If you make this recipe, and tweak it until its good, please share your fixes! Email me at Kara@goveeblog.com
