Gnocchi with spinach and mascarpone – does it even exist?
Do you sometimes give up on a recipe because there is an ingredient you are not able to get or even do not know what it is? I was just about to when I failed to find stracchino cheese for this recipe. After a bit of online research, however, I decided to swap it for mascarpone. Yes, a bit risky. But the effect was amazing! The sauce came out smooth, creamy and so soft that it had a calming effect on me.
Italian gnocchi and Polish kopytka
Gnocchi is exactly the same product as Polish kopytka, which is something I grew up on as my grandma was making it very often. Gnocchi can be eaten with stew, goulash, vegetables, and all sorts of sauces. They also taste amazing eaten sweet with yoghurt or cream, cinnamon and sugar. Gnocchi are amazing the following day, fried in butter and with a little bit of parmesan on top.
Sometimes I hear people around here say ‘I had gnocchi once and they were disgusting.’ My eyes open wide in disbelief, my head shakes and I think ‘How was that possible?’. So, if you are one of these people take a look at the recipe below, have a go at it and taste the difference!
The procedure – gnocchi
Start with mashed potatoes which did not get eaten the day before. Or, if you are making gnocchi/kopytka from scratch, peel 3-4 medium-sized to large potatoes and boil them in slightly salted water. Strain them, mash and wait until they cool down.
Use a large bowl and place the mashed potatoes in it. Then follow the order of adding the ingredients:
- Sweet mashed potatoes, 1 egg,
- Pungent a pinch of ginger,
- Salty a pinch of salt,
- Sour plain wheat flour, the same amount as the potatoes,
- Bitter a pinch of turmeric.
Mix all the ingredients well and transfer the mixture onto the kneading board. Knead for 1-2 minutes until you get smooth texture. If the dough sticks to your fingers add some flour. Divide the dough ball into 2 and then each one into 2 smaller ones again. You might need to repeat the process. Roll each ball into long strips and cut them into inch-long or shorter pieces. To make gnocchi, roll each piece over a fork placed curve up on the table.
Procedure – spinach and mascarpone sauce
In a large frying pan add the following:
- Sweet 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 handfuls of roughly chopped spinach; heat it up slowly,
- Pungent a pinch of black pepper, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg,
- Salty a pinch of salt,
- Sour a few drops of lemon juice,
- Bitter 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated turmeric root (or a pinch of powdered turmeric),
- Sweet 150g of mascarpone.
Stir everything well until spinach wilts and all the ingredients combine. There is no need for long cooking.
Add your cooked gnocchi to the frying pan, turn the heat off and stir well.
Serve your gnocchi with spinach and mascarpone immediately sprinkled with some grated parmesan and drizzled with some olive oil.
More of the kopytka/gnocchi. You might also like the pierogi recipe. Enjoy!
