Spinach And Ricotta Gnocchi With Sage Butter Food

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH SAGE AND BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• For the gnocchi: Combine the flour, Parmesan, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta and egg. Mix well with a wooden spoon or your fingers until the dough just comes together, taking care not to overwork the dough, which could cause it to become tough.
• Scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface and pat into a rough square. Cut the dough into fourths with a bench scraper or knife. Gently roll each piece into a foot-long rope about an inch in diameter, flouring as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface. Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces with a bench scraper or knife and set aside.
• For the sauce: Heat 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat in a skillet large enough to accommodate all of the gnocchi without crowding. When the butter begins to foam, add the gnocchi to the skillet and cook, turning as necessary, until they're browned and crisp on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp, 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in 1/2 cup water, the lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the Parmesan while turning the gnocchi. Let the sauce ingredients emulsify and form a silken coating, about 1 minute. Add more water if the skillet looks too dry. Spoon the gnocchi and sauce into shallow bowls and serve immediately.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Wash the spinach, then place in a pan with just the water that clings to its leaves. Cover. Cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until wilted. Drain well and set aside.
• Squeeze out as much liquid as possible then finely chop the spinach. A processor works well for this. Place the spinach in a bowl along with the ricotta cheese, half the Parmesan cheese, the eggs, nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Beat until thoroughly combined. Sift in the flour and lightly work it into the mixture, adding enough to make a workable mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• With floured hands, break off small pieces of the mixture and roll into walnut-size balls. Handle as little as possible, they are delicate. Lightly dust the gnocchi with flour.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boiling point. Add the gnocchi and cook 2-3 minutes until they rise to the surface. Remove from pan and drain well.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter for the herb mixture in a large, heavy-bottom skillet over low heat. Add the oregano and sage and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the gnocchi and toss gently to coat. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

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 SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• To cook the spinach boil it in a large saucepan with a generous amount of salt and a little water until it wilts then rinse thoroughly and squeeze dry, then chop finely.
• Melt the butter (50g) and cook the onion and garlic until its soft and translucent, add the marjoram, spinach and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Stir the ricotta, eggs, flour, breadcrumbs and parmesan and a pinch of salt into the onion mix and then place in the fridge and chill until firm.
• Roll the gnocchi into balls and dust your hands regularly with flour covering each ball generously in the flour. In a large saucepan fill 2/3rds full with salted water and bring to the boil then reduce slightly, cook the gnocchi in batches, don't put to many in at once or they will break up, when the balls float to the surface their done.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Cook spinach in large pot of boiling salted water just until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain. Squeeze out liquid. Chop spinach.
• Mix spinach, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup flour, egg yolks, salt, pepper and nutmeg in bowl until slightly sticky dough forms.
• Dust baking sheet with flour. Working in batches and using floured hands, roll 1/4 cup dough on floured work surface to form 5-inch-long rope. Cut rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece between palms to form oval. Transfer gnocchi to prepared baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting and shaping with remaining dough. Working in batches, add gnocchi to pot of boiling salted water; cook until gnocchi rise to surface. Cook 4 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, remove gnocchi from water; drain. Place in serving dish.
• Pour butter over gnocchi; toss. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Reheat in 400°F oven about 10 minutes.) Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNUDI WITH SAGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Fit a large pot with a steamer insert. Add enough water to come about 3 inches below bottom of insert, and bring to a simmer. Add spinach, cover, and steam until bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, and let cool slightly. Press to remove liquid. Roll spinach in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze to remove any remaining liquid. Transfer to a food processor, and puree until smooth (you should have 1 scant cup).
• Stir together spinach puree, cheeses, salt, pepper, egg yolks, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons flour in a bowl.
• Mound remaining 1/2 cup flour on a cutting board. Using floured hands, gently shape 1 tablespoon spinach mixture into a small log. Drop it into the flour, and quickly roll to coat lightly. Transfer to a baking sheet that's lightly dusted with semolina. Repeat. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour or until ready to cook (up to overnight).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add half the gnudi, and stir gently to prevent them from sticking together. Cook until gnudi rise to, and remain on, surface, about 7 minutes. Repeat with remaining gnudi.
• Meanwhile, warm 4 plates. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat until dark golden brown. Stir in chopped sage and the sage leaves. Add a little gnudi cooking water to the sauce to loosen.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove gnudi, shaking off excess water, and transfer to plates. Drizzle with sage butter and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.