Thursday, March 29, 2012

ricotta, spinach and mint gnocchi

As this was my first attempt at gnocchi (nok ee) I followed a recipe pretty closely. I've tried a couple kinds at restaurants so I was really looking forward to making this recipe. It was delicious. When I do it next time I'd like to try using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. I also want to use steamed fresh spinach, but I was all out when I made this.

serves 4
*ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups ricotta or quark
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
2 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
1 Tbsp. chopped mint leaves
about 3 cups (250g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup semolina flour
1 cup cream
extra grated parmesan (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup mint leaves
sea salt and black pepper

1. Place ricotta, parmesan, eggs, flour, lemon rind, 1 Tbsp. mint and spinach in a bowl and mix well to combine. 
2.Turn out onto a surface covered in semolina and roll into 4 - 12 inch long ropes.


since the dough was fairly soft I found it helped to place both hands like this and gently roll

3. cut into 3/4 inch lengths. Cook the gnocchi in batches in a pot of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until the float to the surface. Remove with the slotted spoon and keep warm.

4. place the cream in a large frying pan over high heat and cook for 1-2 minutes or until warmed through. Add the gnocchi, extra parmesan, extra mint, salt and pepper and gently toss to coat.


the dough was rather soft so when I stirred it into the sauce some lost their form. Next time I think I'll try tossing them in semolina to coat all sides before cooking.


all ingredients are usually available at the Green Barn