Spinach And Ricotta Dumplings Recipes

GNUDI RECIPE - TRADITIONAL TUSCAN DUMPLINGS WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• BOILING SPINACHFirst, rinse the spinach leaves thoroughly and cook them 5 minutes in boiling water; then raise and pour the vegetables into iced water to stop the cooking and save the bright color. After that, squeeze the spinach a little at a time: it's critical eliminate as much water as possible. Finally, mince the spinach.
• GNUDI DOUGHNow, combine in a bowl the spinach with ricotta, eggs, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 7 tbsp of flour, 2 pinches of nutmeg, 2 pinches of black pepper, and 2 pinches of salt. Whisk and knead the mixture until consistent, them store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for at least 1 hour up to 24 hours.
• BUTTER AND SAGEMelt the butter in a large pan, then sauté the sage over medium heat until the butter starts to become lightly brown.
• GNUDI DUMPLINGSDivide the Gnudi dough into 20 parts, the roll in the flour shaping them into balls. Now, boil the dumplings into boiling water salted with 4.5 tbsp of coarse salt. Cook a couple of minutes then raise with a slotted spoon and season with the butter and sage. Be careful because the Gnudi are very delicate.
• SERVING GNUDIServe Gnudi immediately, with or without a spoon of fresh tomato sauce (here the recipe) and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano and black pepper.

MALFATTI (ITALIAN SPINACH RICOTTA DUMPLINGS IN NAPOLI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Saute garlic and onion: Heat oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened.
• Simmer sauce: Add remaining ingredients plus the stem of basil. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be fairly thick rather than a loose runny sauce.
• Drain ricotta, if needed: The ricotta should be the dry and fairly crumbly type rather than wet, soft and almost spreadable. If it's wet, see Note 1 for removing excess water (wet ricotta makes Malfatti hard to shape and cook!)
• Sweat spinach: Toss spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll up in tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.
• Sauté garlic, eschalot and spinach: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and eschalot, cook for 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to large bowl, allow to cool.
• Malfatti mixture: Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients into the bowl. Mix well to combine. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings.
• Form dumplings: Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture then shape into a football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24-30.
• Boil dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then carefully put 6 dumplings in. Cook for 2 minutes, they should float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.
• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
• Assemble: Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish, then top with Malfatti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake 15 minutes or until the Malfatti has a faint blush of gold on the surface (Note 3).
• Serve! Sprinkle baked Malfatti with parmesan and basil leaves (tear large leaves). Spoon into bowls and served as-is. No starchy side is required, think of these as like gnocchi. Just add a leafy green salad with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing!

MALFATTI (SPINACH AND RICOTTA DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• In a 5- to 6-quart pan, bring about 3 inches of water to boiling over high heat. Pour pasta sauce into a 1- to 2-quart pan and place over low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot; keep warm.
• While water heats, place spinach in a colander; press with back of a spoon to remove excess liquid. In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan, bread crumbs, onions, basil, eggs, garlic, and nutmeg until well blended. Divide mixture into 16 equal portions.
• With your hands, form spinach mixture, a portion at a time, into smooth 3-inch-long logs. Roll each log lightly in the flour and place them, slightly apart, on a baking sheet or large plate.
• When water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and add logs. Simmer, uncovered, until dumplings look dry in centers (cut to test), about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, divide dumplings among 4 wide, individual serving bowls. Spoon warm pasta sauce equally over each serving. Offer additional parmesan and pepper to add to taste.

SPINACH RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute onion in butter till tender.
• Add spinach, cook and stir over medium heat until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in ricotta; cook and stir for 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add 3/4 cup of flour, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
• Cool for 5 minutes.
• Stir in eggs; mix well.
• Place remaining flour in a bowl.
• Drop batter by tabelspoonfuls into flour; roll gently to coat and shape each into an oval.
• In a large saucepan; bring water and bouillion to a boil-reduce heat.
• Add a third of the dumplings at a time, simmer, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean.
• Remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon; keep warm.
• Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

SPINACH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Thaw and squeeze spinach to remove most of the moisture.
• Add 2 tbsp butter to medium hot pan and toss onions and spinach together until thoroughly warm and quite dry.
• Transfer to bowl and add ricotta first, stir together. (this cools the spinach and prevents the eggs from cooking when added).
• Add eggs, parmesan, and flour.
• Spoon 3/4" balls from the mix and roll in flour to coat.
• Heat the chicken broth to boil, then simmer.
• Add dumplings to broth and cook 10-12 minutes. (make sure the broth does not boil as this could undo the dumplings).
• Serve dumplings in a bowl with melted butter and a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a simmer. Put the spinach in a large bowl and separate it with your hands. Add the ricotta, 3/4 cup parmesan, the flour, eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg. Mix with a fork to form a slightly sticky dough.
• Spread some flour on a plate. Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the spinach-ricotta mixture and roll into about 24 loose balls using floured hands. Gently roll the balls in the flour.
• Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the butter.
• Meanwhile, gently lower the dumplings into the simmering water and cook until they rise to the surface and are firm, about 5 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain off, and add to the sauce. Gently toss to coat, then transfer to plates and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Serve with bread.