for the gnocchi:
- 500 g potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- approx. 150 g flour
for the sauce:
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 400 g minced meat (pork, beef, or combination)
- 600 g tomatoes
- 100 ml water
- 300 g spinach
- 150 g white cheese (feta or similar)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- to taste salt and pepper
Directions:
1. First, prepare the gnocchi, unless you're using pre-prepared or store-bought gnocchi. If you do, just cook 600 g of gnocchi according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. If you decide to make your own gnocchi, cook the potatoes keeping the skin on, if possible. Let them cool completely and then peel them. Mash the potatoes until you get as smooth texture as possible. Add salt, egg and flour and knead the mixture to get a smooth and unsticky dough.
Note that it is important to knead the dough by making as few movements as possible. Potato dough can really absorb LOT of flour, so the more you knead, the more flour you'll need. And if you put too much flour, the gnocchi will be too doughy and gummy.
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3. Tear off cherry-sized pieces of dough and shape the gnocchi. You can also take some bigger piece of dough, make a roller and cut out 1 cm wide pieces. If you wish, you can slide each gnocchi down a fork to make the specific pattern gnocchi have. I usually skip this "sliding" as it takes me an extra time. Either way you choose, make sure the working surface is always lightly floured, so that the gnocchi won't stick to your fingers.
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4. Bring some more water to boiling (3 l) and add 2 teaspoons salt. Put 10-15 pieces of gnocchi at a time and cook them until they surface. Take them out using a skimmer and put them into a colander. Add the next round of gnocchi after you have taken out all from the previous one. Repeat the procedure until you cook all the gnocchi. Remember that the water should be boiling constantly. This will prevent the gnocchi from sticking.
So, you're gnocchi are done! Here...
6. Heat the oil and cook minced onion until translucent. Add minced garlic and minced meat, some salt and pepper, and cook until browned and tender.
7. Peel and dice the tomatoes. Add them to the meat. Also, add water, basil and oregano, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, until sauce thickens a bit, but it has some liquid yet. Instead of tomatoes, you can add 500 ml tomato sauce. In that case do not add water and reduce cooking time to 5 minutes.
8. When sauce is ready, add spinach and cook for an additional minute. Remove from fire and add gnocchi. Combine.
9. Pour the mixture into a baking pan (no need for greasing the pan), and sprinkle with grated, crushed or diced white cheese.
Serve warm with some fresh salad, if you wish. Me personally, I enjoy "spoiling" this dish with some mayo... :)
Enjoy and bon appétit!