In a large bowl whisk together eggs, ricotta, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in flour until dough starts to come together.
Scoop dough onto a floured work surface and knead gently for a few turns until dough is smooth. Shape into a round disk, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes for the flour to hydrate.
Cut dough disk into 4 equal portions and roll eat portion into an approximate 15" log. Cut each log into 3/4" pieces, dusting lightly with flour as you go to prevent sticking.
Roll each piece across the tines of a fork or gnocchi board, sprinkle with flour as you go to prevent sticking. Dust a large baking tray with flour and lay formed gnocchi in a single layer on the tray. Sprinkle with flour, cover and keep chilled until ready to use.
Sauce
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until combined. Slowly add 1 cup of hot milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Repeat with remaining milk, adding it gradually and stirring until smooth after each addition. Once all the milk has been added, bring to a gentle simmer to ensure flour has thickened to its capacity. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer and preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove the sauce from heat and stir in half of the Gruyere cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Once the cheese has melted stir in spinach and chopped artichokes.
Gently add gnocchi to the simmering water. Cook until all the gnocchi float to the surface which will only take a few minutes. Remove with a slotted scoop to a towel-lined tray to remove excess moisture. Immediately add gnocchi to the sauce and stir gently to combine.
Divide between 4 oven-safe individual cocotte dishes or ramekins that will hold a minimum of 1 1/2 cups. Divide remaining Gruyere cheese evenly over tops and place on a foil-lined baking tray. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly. Turn oven to broil to lightly brown the tops for about 2 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving as they are very hot.
Recipe Notes
A single casserole dish can be used instead of individual cocotte dishes if desired.
It's important to add the cooked gnocchi immediately to the sauce as they will start to stick together if left to sit for too long.
Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften, stirring often.
Add ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook until browned and no longer pink, breaking apart any large chunks and stirring often. Dab out any excess fat with a paper towel.
To the meat add marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chili flakes.
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 20- 25 minutes to meld flavours.
While meat sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions using well-salted water. (about 1 tbsp regular salt to 4 litres of water). Drain pasta and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350℉.
In a small bowl stir together ricotta, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, dried basil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Lightly spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with non stick spray. Add half the cooked pasta and half of the meat sauce to the casserole dish. Stir to combine. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture.
To the pot with the remaining pasta add remaining meat sauce. Stir to combine and pour over ricotta cheese layer. Top with remaining half of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until bubbly. Broil for 2-3 to blister the cheese. Remove and allow to rest 3-5 minutes prior to serving.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute stirring often as you don't want it to brown. Add 1 cup of warm milk, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil and is smooth. Add another cup of milk, whisking until mixture again reaches a boil. Stir in remaining milk and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat and stir in both cheeses, sage, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of sauce and set aside until ready with remainder of dish or you can refrigerate and use later.
In a medium size bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, fresh sage, salt and pepper. When mushroom mixture has cooled, stir into cheese mixture. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter a 9x5x3" loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt and set aside.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat butter and sugar until soft and well creamed, about 2 minutes. Add ricotta cheese and beat for an additional minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each egg. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour mixture all at once and mix until just incorporated.
Pour batter into greased pan and bake for approximately 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire rack before removing from pan.
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