Semolina gnocchi with pork ragù is a tasty and rich main dish to prepare for the holiday table. It’s an easy recipe that can be made either on the spot or in advance. The semolina gnocchi are made quickly, and in this recipe, I didn’t use milk but water to make the dish a bit lighter, more delicate on the palate.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Cooking time: 12 Minutes
- Portions: 4-5
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 3 3/8 cups Water (or milk)
- 1.75 tbsps Butter
- 7 oz Semolina
- 1 pinch Fine salt
- 1 yolk
- 1.4 oz Pecorino cheese
- 1 lb 5 oz lbs Pork chunks (pork)
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Celery
- 1 Golden onion
- 1 Dry white wine
- to taste Fine salt
- to taste Pepper
- 26.5 oz Tomato puree
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
After removing the waste parts, prepare a fine mince with carrot, onion, and celery.
Prepare the ragù. In a pan, sauté the minced mixture in a little oil over low heat, stirring often. When the onion is well browned and transparent, raise the heat and add the pork chunks (not too small).
Let them brown perfectly (about 3-4 minutes), pour in the wine, and let the alcohol evaporate. Only at this point, season with salt, add a pinch of pepper, stir, and add the tomato puree. Stir again, lower the heat, cover, leaving a gap between the pot and the lid, and let it cook for about 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, let’s make the semolina gnocchi. In a bowl, place the yolk, salt, and pecorino cheese and mix with a fork until well combined. In a pot, bring the water and butter to a boil, and when boiling, add the semolina all at once.
Stir quickly with a steel whisk (to avoid lumps). Let it cook on low heat until it becomes very firm, continuing to stir with a fork or wooden spoon. Turn off the heat, let cool, then add the yolk and pecorino mixture, stirring quickly to perfectly blend all the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a worktable or a wide, shallow baking dish, spreading it to a thickness of about 0.4 inches. Let it rest for a few minutes, then, with the help of a 2-inch diameter pastry cutter, cut out disks until the semolina dough is finished.
Preheat the oven to 390°F. Pour a generous amount of ragù on the bottom of the baking dish, place the disks, cover with more sauce, and finish by sprinkling with grated pecorino cheese. Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 10/12 minutes.
