Another fabulous River Café recipe. Light and airy fresh ricotta dumplings swimming in a butter and sage sauce. What’s not to like?
Blanch 1kg (2¼ lbs) of spinach in boiling water until wilted. Squeeze the cooked spinach dry and chop it roughly. In a pan melt a ¼ of a cup of unsalted butter and add the picked leaves from a small bunch of fresh marjoram. Cook for a minute then add the spinach and stir to combine. Season to taste then leave to cool. In a large bowl, lightly beat 400g (14 oz) of fresh ricotta with a fork. Sift in 40g (8 teaspoons) of all-purpose flour. Add 3 egg yolks, ¼ of a freshly grated nutmeg and 120g (4¼ oz) of grated Parmesan and mix well. Finally, fold in the cooled spinach mixture until well combined and taste for seasoning. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and, using two dessert spoons, shape the gnocchi and place them on the baking sheet. They should all be the same size. To make the sage butter, heat 1 cup of butter gently until it separates. Pour out the clarified butter into a clean pan and return it to the heat. When very hot, add the sage leaves briefly then remove from the heat and allow to cool. When you’re ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Gently drop the gnocchi in the water. Don’t overcrowd the pot – cook them in batches if necessary. When the gnocchi come up to the surface they are cooked. Carefully remove them with a slotted spoon and briefly place the spoon on paper towels to drain off the excess water. Toss them gently in the sage butter and keep them warm while you cook the rest. Serve immediately with some extra sage butter and grated parmesan on top.
michelle picker cooks 