Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi (plus 2 sauces)

Toronto food writer and cookbook author Emily Richards – who many might recognize as one of Food Network’s Canadian Living Cooks ladies – just published a new cookbook – Per la Famiglia (Whitecap) is a collection of southern Italian recipes that are favourites in her family’s home. It’s a gorgeous book, full of food I want to make – and gather as many people around the table as possible to eat.

Emily shared the recipe for her homemade Ricotta Gnocchi, which she made by hand using one of her dad’s homemade wood gnocchi rolling boards. It comes from her gorgeous new book, Per la Famiglia (Whitecap).

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi

Makes 2 lbs, enough for 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 large tub (11 oz / 330 g) baby spinach, washed*

1 egg

1 tub (475 g) ricotta cheese**

3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour (approx.), divided

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

1 batch of Homemade Tomato (see below) or Easy Gorgonzola sauce (see below)

*You will need about 16 cups (4 L) of lightly packed baby spinach.

** You will need 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of ricotta cheese.

Directions

In a large skillet, cover and cook spinach over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze spinach well. Chop spinach; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, ricotta and spinach. Gradually stir in 2½ cups (625 mL) flour and salt with wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Place dough on a floured surface and knead in remaining flour for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough.

Divide dough into 8 pieces; roll each into long, thin strands, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut into about 36 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Roll each piece across tines of a fork, gnocchi paddle or gnocchi basket. Place in a single layer on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Place in the freezer for about 1 hour or until firm. Use a flat spatula or wooden spoon to gently scrape the frozen gnocchi off the baking sheet.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi from frozen for about 8 minutes or until they float to the top and are tender throughout. Drain with a slotted spoon and toss with Homemade Tomato Sauce or Easy Gorgonzola Sauce (below).

Make ahead: If you want to freeze the gnocchi, once they are firmly frozen, use a spatula to scrape pasta off baking sheet into a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To make plain ricotta gnocchi, like my Zia Lina sometimes does, omit spinach and use only 2 cups (500 mL) of flour to stir in to form soft dough. You may need to knead in more flour to form a smooth dough.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is as close to my mom and Nonna’s sauce that I could get. Using home-made canned tomatoes makes a difference but many people don’t get a chance to can their own tomatoes. I wanted to be able to offer you a recipe for a tomato sauce using store-bought canned tomatoes that was easy to make and still tasted great. This sauce is perfect for pasta or any other dish that uses tomato sauce, like pizza. It’s simple and tasty and also freezes beautifully.

Makes 5 cups of sauce

Ingredients

2 cans (28 oz / 796 mL) plum tomatoes*

6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley

2 sprigs fresh basil

1 small onion, halved

2 cloves garlic, halved

3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp (15 mL) dried oregano leaves

2 tsp (10 mL) salt

¼ tsp (1 mL) hot pepper flakes

*You can use 6 cups (1.5 L) of homemade tomatoes if you can your own. You can also use 2 jars (700mL) of tomato pasta if you don’t want to puree them yourself.

Directions

In a food mill or blender, puree tomatoes until smooth and pour into large saucepan. Add parsley, basil, onion, garlic, oil, oregano, salt and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook for about 2 hours or until reduced slightly and thickened.

You can serve up the very soft onion, garlic and herbs on crusty bread. I have family members that enjoy them this way.

Easy Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce

This sauce is very special yet super simple. It is tasty with pastas like tagliatelle, fettuccine or even gnocchi. This rich and decadent sauce is always a favourite.

Makes 1 1/2 cups or enough for 1 lb of pasta

Ingredients

2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter

1 small shallot, diced

1 ½  cups (375 mL) 35% whipping cream

4 oz (125 g) Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled*

Pinch of fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp (30 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*This is about 3/4 cup (190 mL) of Gorgonzola cheese.

Directions

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Cook shallot for 3 minutes or until softened. Add cream and bring to boil for about 3 minutes or until reduced slightly. Reduce heat; add Gorgonzola and pepper. Stir until melted and thickened. Toss with your favourite cooked pasta.

Originally published in 2015. Photo and recipes courtesy of Emily Richards and her book Per la Famiglia (Whitecap).