Gnocchi is often mistaken for a kind of pasta. In fact, it is a small Italian dumpling, most often made from potatoes. Like pasta, however, gnocchi is usually served with some kind of sauce. In this vegetarian recipe, the mild spinach in the gnocchi dough is pepped up with a fragrant sage and butter sauce and topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
Making gnocchi at home is really easy and does not require any special equipment. The basic recipe also lends itself to lots of different flavors. Instead of spinach, try experimenting with other vegetables such as pumpkin or replace the sage butter with pesto sauce.
Home-made Spinach Gnocchi Recipe
Serves 4.
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Small handful pine nuts
- 7 oz / 200 g baby spinach
- 8 oz / 250 g potatoes
- 4 oz / 100 g flour
- 1 medium egg
- Leaves from 2 sprigs of sage
- 2 oz / 50 g butter
- Fresh Parmesan cheese to garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and dry roast the pine nuts until golden brown. Turn regularly so that they do not burn. Remove from the heat and put to one side.
- Peel the potatoes and chop roughly. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with cold, salted water. Bring the water to the boil, reduce the heat and cook the potatoes until soft. Drain and mash.
- In another saucepan, bring about 2 inches of water to the boil. Add three quarters of the spinach and cook for two minutes until just wilted.
- Drain the spinach and rinse under cold water. Squeeze any excess water out of the spinach and chop finely. Mix the spinach thoroughly into the mashed potatoes. Check the seasoning at this point and if necessary add salt and pepper. Mix in the egg.
- Add the flour two or three tablespoons at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add just enough flour to form a smooth dough that is dry enough to roll out.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces and using your palms role each piece into a long, thin sausage about ¾ inch / 2 cms in diameter.
- Leave the dough to rest while you bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Cut the dough into pieces 1 inch / 2 ½ cms long. Carefully transfer the gnocchi into the boiling water. When all the gnocchi has risen to the surface, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and drain.
- While the gnocchi is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the sage leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide the remaining spinach leaves between four bowls and heap the gnocchi on top of it. Drizzle each portion with the sage butter and sprinkle with the roasted pine nuts.
- Just before serving, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.
Like Italian food? Then try these recipes too:
Italian Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
Cecily Layzell - Cecily Layzell is a food and travel writer and founder of restaurant review site www.eat-amsterdam.com.
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