Spinach and ricotta gnocchi with a tomato sauce

I cooked this dish over the weekend and wanted to post a blog about it on Sunday or Monday for meatless Mondays. Unfortunately I ran out of time.

Today I received my weekly newsletter from one of my favourite magazines and they featured something similar, called Strozzapreti or Ricotta and Spinach dumplings.

I found the base recipe for these “gnocchi” in a recipe book, called Entertain with small bites by Rosemary Sanders. I adapted it a little bit and added a sauce to it.

I used bought ricotta, but to make your own ricotta go to http://blogs.food24.com/totaste/2012/08/14/buttermilk-ricotta/

The “gnocchi” can be eaten as a snack, starter or even a main dish with some vegetables on the side.

Spinach and ricotta gnocchi with a tomato sauce

By: PinkPolkaDot

Recipe Type: Starter

The spinach and ricotta “gnocchi” can be eaten as a snack, starter or even a main dish with some vegetables on the side.

Ingredients

60g butter
300g baby spinach, chopped
200g ricotta, drained
60g cake flour
2 extra large eggs, beaten
60g grated Parmesan cheese
2.5ml freshly grated nutmeg
salt
60g butter
60g grated Parmesan cheese
60g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
115g tomato paste
5ml sugar
salt and pepper
60ml fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir fry the spinach for 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir the ricotta and cake flour into the spinach.
Remove from the stove and mix beaten eggs and Parmesan into the spinach mixture.
Add the nutmeg and season with salt and cool down.
Form into balls with floured hands.
Heat salted water in a large pot until boiling and add a couple of the balls at a time into the water.
Poach the balls until it floats to the top. Poach for another 2 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon and place into a buttered oven dish.
Cook all the gnocchi in this way.
Melt the butter on high heat until brown and pour over the gnocchi.
Add the grated Parmesan cheese and brown under the grill.
Serve with the tomato sauce that is made as follows:
Heat the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion until brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste, sugar and season to taste.
Saute for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the thyme.
Cool down slightly and liquidize in a food processor.
Serve with the spinach gnocchi.