Vegetables Recipes - Gnocchi Verdi

Ingredients

• 450 g/1lb spinach

• 100 g/4 oz/1/2 cup butter

• 175 g/6 oz/3/4 cup curd (smooth cottage) cheese

• 45 ml/3 tbsp plain flour

• 30 ml/2 tbsp double (heavy) cream

• 2 eggs, beaten

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2.5 ml/1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• 100 g/4 oz/1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• A little extra flour

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Method:

1. Wash the spinach in several changes of water. Put in a saucepan with no extra water, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Drain, squeeze out all excess moisture then finely chop. Melt half the butter in a saucepan. Add the spinach and curd cheese and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat, stir in the flour, cream, eggs, some salt and pepper, the nutmeg and 25 g/1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.

4. Mix thoroughly, then turn the mixture into a large shallow dish and chill for 2 hours until firm.

5. With floured hands, shape the gnocchi into small balls. Drop a few at a time into a pan of boiling water and cook until they puff up and rise to the surface.

6. Remove with a draining spoon and arrange in a buttered flameproof dish. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the gnocchi.

7. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and grill (broil) until the top is golden brown. Serve straight away.