Since I learned to make gnocchi without potatoes, I’ve ventured into some variations on the theme. These green semolina gnocchi with spinach were the very first variant I tried.
I have made other attempts since then, but I’ll talk about those later on.
Come on, a bit of suspense is needed every now and then! 😃😃
I’m ready to write the recipe, are you ready? Do you have a package of semolina flour and some spinach at home? Great! Then let’s get started!!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups Reground durum wheat semolina
- 3 1/3 cups Water
- 7 oz Spinach
- 2 oz Ricotta
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Nutmeg
- Pot
- Casserole
- Knife
Preparation
First, wash and boil the spinach.
To preserve the flavor and properties of the spinach, I recommend not boiling them in water but cooking them with the lid closed right after washing, using only the water left from draining.
When the spinach is cooked, sauté it in a pan for a few minutes with a chopped garlic clove and a teaspoon of oil to flavor them.
This sautéing step is optional, which I do out of personal habit, as a result of my cooking without salt. 😉
Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and chop finely with a knife, or use a small food processor for convenience.
Mix the spinach with the ricotta.
Bring water to a boil in a tall pot.
When the water reaches boiling point, pour the spinach and ricotta mixture into the water, stir with a spoon, then pour in the semolina, stirring quickly.
You’ll get a compact dough that must be immediately transferred to the work surface, well sprinkled with semolina, and kneaded while hot (or warm).
Season with a generous grating of nutmeg and knead quickly until you get a compact yet soft dough.
Flour as needed (i.e., semolina the surface).
Take portions of the dough and shape them into logs, as is customary for any type of gnocchi.
Cut the logs into small pieces.
These gnocchi can be used as they are or rolled on a gnocchi board or fork tines, or you can gently press them with your fingertip to achieve the now-famous ( 😀 ) indent of my homemade gnocchi.
The green semolina gnocchi are excellent when seasoned with gorgonzola and walnuts as in this recipe of mine, but I’ve also tried them with a simple spicy tomato sauce and they were quite good.
Today I seasoned them with butter and sage, specifically to not overshadow their lovely color and to photograph them for you. 🙂
Enjoy your meal!!
Another winning idea for seasoning these green gnocchi can be found in this recipe of mine: gnocchi with sausage and Jerusalem artichoke ragù. Try it!
Salt-Free Tips
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
– Gradually reduce salt, as the palate needs to get used to it slowly without realizing the gradual reduction.
– Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
– Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
– Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
– Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
– Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
– Prefer fresh foods.
– Avoid boiling, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grilling, baking, steaming, microwaving)
– Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
– Occasionally break the rules. It’s good for the mood and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want to, or can’t, give up salt:
You can still try my recipes and season according to your habits.
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