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| Spinach and ricotta gnocchi baked with cherry tomatoes |
Instead of the usual boiling method, these light as air gnocchi are baked in the oven with cherry tomatoes and Parmesan
Serves 4
Spinach and ricotta gnocchi baked with cherry tomatoes ingredients: 400 grams spinach or sliverbeet, stems removed. 400 grams firm ricotta. 2 tablespoons pine nuts, roasted and roughly chopped. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. 2 egg yolks. 1/4 teaspoon freshly granted nutmeg. Finely grated zest 1 lemon. 1 clove garlic, crushed. 1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sauce: 2 tablespoons olive oil. 2 cloves garlic, crushed. 1 x 400 gram tin cherry tomatoes. Parmesan for grating. 4-6 cup capacity ovenproof baking dish, lightly greased
Spinach and ricotta gnocchi baked with cherry tomatoes recipe
Preheat the oven to 180C
Gnocchi: Cook the spinach or sliver beet in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water then drain again. Place in a clean tea towel, roll up and squeeze out all the excess water. It's important the greens are dry or the gnocchi will fall apart. Chop finely and place in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, season and combine well. Refrigerate until ready to assemble
Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes
Place half the sauce in the baking dish
To cook: Scoop gold ball-sized spoons of the mixture into your hand and gently squeeze together into a rough oval shape. You should get about 20 gnocchi. Place in the baking dish and spoon the remaining sauce around the gnocchi. Grate over a generous amount of Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a salad and crusty rolls
