Spinach Ricotta Dumplings With Garlic Tomato Sauce Food

SPINACH AND RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a simmer. Put the spinach in a large bowl and separate it with your hands. Add the ricotta, 3/4 cup parmesan, the flour, eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg. Mix with a fork to form a slightly sticky dough.
• Spread some flour on a plate. Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the spinach-ricotta mixture and roll into about 24 loose balls using floured hands. Gently roll the balls in the flour.
• Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the butter.
• Meanwhile, gently lower the dumplings into the simmering water and cook until they rise to the surface and are firm, about 5 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain off, and add to the sauce. Gently toss to coat, then transfer to plates and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Serve with bread.

MALFATTI (ITALIAN SPINACH RICOTTA DUMPLINGS IN NAPOLI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Saute garlic and onion: Heat oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened.
• Simmer sauce: Add remaining ingredients plus the stem of basil. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be fairly thick rather than a loose runny sauce.
• Drain ricotta, if needed: The ricotta should be the dry and fairly crumbly type rather than wet, soft and almost spreadable. If it's wet, see Note 1 for removing excess water (wet ricotta makes Malfatti hard to shape and cook!)
• Sweat spinach: Toss spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll up in tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.
• Sauté garlic, eschalot and spinach: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and eschalot, cook for 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to large bowl, allow to cool.
• Malfatti mixture: Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients into the bowl. Mix well to combine. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings.
• Form dumplings: Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture then shape into a football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24-30.
• Boil dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then carefully put 6 dumplings in. Cook for 2 minutes, they should float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.
• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
• Assemble: Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish, then top with Malfatti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake 15 minutes or until the Malfatti has a faint blush of gold on the surface (Note 3).
• Serve! Sprinkle baked Malfatti with parmesan and basil leaves (tear large leaves). Spoon into bowls and served as-is. No starchy side is required, think of these as like gnocchi. Just add a leafy green salad with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing!

SPINACH RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute onion in butter till tender.
• Add spinach, cook and stir over medium heat until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in ricotta; cook and stir for 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add 3/4 cup of flour, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
• Cool for 5 minutes.
• Stir in eggs; mix well.
• Place remaining flour in a bowl.
• Drop batter by tabelspoonfuls into flour; roll gently to coat and shape each into an oval.
• In a large saucepan; bring water and bouillion to a boil-reduce heat.
• Add a third of the dumplings at a time, simmer, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean.
• Remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon; keep warm.
• Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

SPINACH - RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Gnocchi: Add milk and bread to a shallow dish, let bread soak 10 minutes, then squeeze excess milk from the bread.
• In a medium bowl, combine bread, spinach, ricotta, eggs, grated parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Fold the flour into the spinach mixture, flour your hands and roll heaping tsps into balls.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil, add gnocchi in batches, cook 2 minutes or until gnocchi rises to the surface, transfer to a serving plate with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
• Sauce: Combine ingredients in a small saucepan, cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until the butter is lightly browned.
• To serve, drizzle sauce over gnocchi and top with shaved Parmesan.