Spinach Semolina Gnocchi
Semolina Gnocchi is a specialty of Rome, and does go back to ancient Roman times. It was at first a very simple combination of Semolina, and milk or water. Now this classic dish contains eggs and grated cheese. Most of us are familiar with gnocchi made from potatoes, but that version was not until the 16th century when potatoes were introduced to Europe. My version is just a bit different with the addition of spinach and ricotta. Thus combining the ancient Roman dish and add a bit of my Northern Italian heritage. These are simple to make, and one of really great things is that the gnocchi dough can be made several days in advance and baked when needed. This recipe will serve 8 as a side dish or 6 as a main course with a nice green salad.
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh baby spinach (340g)
- 4 cup whole milk (1 liter)
- 1 1/2 cup semolina (300g)
- 1 tsp salt (6g)
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (.6g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (114g)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (75g)
- 2 Grade "A" large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (60g)
- a bit more butter and Parmesan for the finish
Instructions
- Place the spinach in a large pot, add a few tablespoons of water and a bit of salt. Cook over medium heat until tender. Remove from the pot and drain. As soon as the spinach is cool enough to handle, gently squeeze out any excess water. Chop the spinach into small pieces and set aside.
- Mix the chopped spinach, egg yolks and ricotta together and set aside.
- Add the milk, salt and nutmeg to a heavy weight sauce pan, and bring the milk to a robust simmer.
- Pour the Semolina into a sieve and slowly add to the milk while constantly stirring. This is about the only tricky part of this recipe as if you pour the Semolina in too quickly it will become lumpy.
- Continue stirring for 5 minutes. The mixture will be very thick, so a wooden spoon or spatula will work best.
- After the 5 minutes, stir in the butter, spinach mixture and grated cheese. As soon as you have combined all of these ingredients, you can pour out on to a sheet pan. You can do this two ways.
- First option: Brush the bottom of a sheet pan (9"x13") with a bit of oil, pour the cooked spinach gnocchi onto the pan. Use a small spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the surface. It should be a bit under 1/2" thick. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool and firm up a bit. When it is firm, you can use a biscuit cutter to cut circles. This is an easy way, but you also have excess trimmings.
- Second option: Cut a piece of parchment paper and rub the surface with a bit of butter or oil. Pour the gnocchi onto the the paper, spread it out and then using the end of the paper roll in into a log shape.
- Secure the paper around the roll and allow to cool. This way you have no excess trimmings. Once cooled and firm, just slice the log into rings between 1/4" to 1/2" thick. I find using a serrated knife to be best.
- Coat a baking dish with about a tablespoon of melted butter. Place the rings of gnocchi either in a single layer, or overlapped like tiles on a roof on top of the butter. Brush the tops with a bit more melted butter and sprinkle a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese. Place in a preheated 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the gnocchi are puffed, the cheese has melted and the edges are a crispy golden brown.
