I have been making ‘gnocchi Verdi’ for many years. It is an immensely satisfying simple dish to make and a perfect starter for almost any Italian main course. The bonus is that it can also be used as a light main course too!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) of macaroni pasta
- ¼ cup (60 g) water
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) semi skimmed milk
- ¾ cup (180 ml) of mature grated cheddar cheese
- Pinch of salt and black pepper mix to taste
Topping
- Fry the optional onion in butter until tender, or substitute with finely chopped ginger. Now add spinach; cook and stir over a medium heat until the juice has evaporated. add the ricotta and stir and cook for 4 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl.
- Mix in ¾ cup of flour and Parmesan cheese. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and set aside.
- Stir in the eggs and mix well. Add the remaining flour to a bowl. Drop the mix by tbspfuls into flour; roll lightly to coat and shape each into an oval.
- In a large saucepan, bring water and chicken stock cube to boil; then reduce heat. Add a third of the dumplings at a time, simmer, for 8-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; cover to keep warm. Lightly cover with butter; dusting each ball with Parmesan. Serve immediately.