Page 19 - ALG Issue 3 2019

Wilt the spinach in boiling water for
1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. When cool, squeeze out as much of the excess water as possible. Chop very finely. Boil, steam or bake the potatoes with their skins on until
a knife is easily inserted. Leave to cool just a little and remove the skins while the potatoes are still warm. Use rubber gloves if the potato is too hot. Pass the warm potato through a potato ricer, grate or fluff with a fork until smooth and absolutely no lumps remain. It’s very important to remove all lumps
as you will feel them in the finished gnocchi.
Add the spinach and mix well. Using your hands, work the flour into the potato mixture, thoroughly, but with a light touch. When the flour has been mixed in, the dough should not be sticky or soft, it should be firm and
smooth. If the dough seems sticky, add a bit more flour or if it seems too dry, add a bit of water.
Break off golf ball sizes of the dough and gently roll out into sausage-like shapes about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick. Cut the gnocchi to 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces. Touch each of the gnocchi with a fork on all sides to make grooves for the sauce. Alternatively, a gnocchi paddle can be used and is great fun. Place the gnocchi on a well-floured tray.
Cook the gnocchi in plenty of salted boiling water for just a couple of minutes. The gnocchi are ready when they float to the top. Don’t cook too many at once; it’s fine to reuse the water, just scoop out the floating gnocchi, bring the water back to a boil and repeat. Save a bit of the cooking water for the sauce.
For the fresh cherry tomato and basil ragù
GF VE
This recipe may not be traced back to Italy, more to
my restaurant in Sonoma County, California where it featured heavily in summer months. However, based on what I know about Italian cooking, I’m sure the same has been done in family kitchens across the country
for centuries. Again, as with most fresh tomato-based recipes, this is best done in the height of tomato season when they are affordable, available and oh so delicious.
A ragù is just an Italian name for sauce; Bolognese is a type of ragù, not to be confused with ragout, which is a thick French stew. Toss cooked gnocchi in the sauce and serve immediately with grated vegetarian Parmesan.
It makes enough to serve with the gnocchi recipe.
3-4 tbsps olive oil, not extra virgin
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
600g cherry tomatoes, the orange Sun Gold variety if possible
150ml white wine
20g fresh basil, leaves only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
grated vegetarian Parmesan
Vegan version – swap the cheese for vegan cheese
Heat a large frying pan with 3 tbsps of olive oil over a low heat. Add the chopped garlic and gently cook for about
2 minutes, careful not to burn otherwise the sauce will be bitter. Add the whole cherry tomatoes and stir well to lift the garlic from the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, adding more oil if needed. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the cherry tomatoes. Cook for 5 more minutes then add the white wine. Reduce until most of the wine has cooked out.
Roll up the basil and thinly slice into what’s called a chiffonade. Add the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the cooked gnocchi in the sauce with a bit of the cooking liquid and gently simmer for a few minutes. Serve immediately with grated vegetarian Parmesan.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 19