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