Semolina gnocchi with pork ragù is a tasty and rich first course to prepare for the holiday table. It’s an easy recipe that can be made on the spot or in advance. The semolina gnocchi are prepared 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 1/2 cups Water (or milk)
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Semolina
- 1 pinch Fine salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup Pecorino
- 1 1/3 lbs Pork chunks
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Celery
- 1 Yellow onion
- 1 Dry white wine
- to taste Fine salt
- to taste Pepper
- 3 1/4 cups Tomato sauce
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
After removing the waste parts, prepare a fine mince with carrot, onion, and celery.
Let’s prepare the ragù. In a saucepan, sauté the mince 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 it brown perfectly (about 3-4 minutes), then pour in the wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Only at this point, adjust the salt, add a pinch of pepper, stir, and add the tomato sauce. Mix again, lower the heat, cover, leaving a gap between the pot and the lid, and cook for about 60 minutes.
In the meantime, let’s work on the semolina gnocchi. In a bowl, put the egg yolk, salt, and pecorino, and mix with a fork until well combined. In a saucepan, 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 over low heat until it becomes very firm, continuing to stir with a fork or wooden spoon. Turn off the heat, let it cool; then, add the yolk and pecorino mixture, stirring quickly to perfectly combine all ingredients. Transfer the mixture onto a worktable or a large and low baking sheet, spreading it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Let it rest for a few minutes and then, using a 2-inch diameter round pastry cutter, cut out discs until you run out of semolina dough.
Preheat the oven to 392°F. Pour a generous amount of ragù on the baking sheet, lay the discs on top, cover with more sauce, and finish by sprinkling with grated pecorino. Bake in the lowest part of the oven for about 10-12 minutes.
