Recipe

Step 1: Cook about 1-1/2 lb. of spinach to get 1 cup. Firmly squeeze the cooked spinach in your hands to wring out any water. Put the spinach in a food processor with 1/2 cup ricotta, 3 extra-large eggs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, and 1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Purée for about 1 minute.

Step 2: Transfer the dough to a large bowl and work in 2 cups flour, 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage, 1 tbsp salt, a big pinch of pepper and a small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Add a little more flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers.

Step 3: Roll the dough out into five rolls, each about 15″ long and 3/4″ thick. Cut the dough into 3/4″ pellets (you should get about twenty pellets per roll). Poach the pellets in a large skillet filled with simmering water for about 7 minutes.

Step 4: Lift the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer them to a bowl with 3 tbsp of butter or extra-virgin olive oil.

Makes about 100 pellets

See more recipes from James Peterson.

Reprinted with permission from James Peterson’s Vegetables, Revised (2012 Ten Speed Press).