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Ingredients Jump to Instructions ↓

  1. 2 pounds Italian sausage , removed from casing and crumbled

  2. 1 tablespoon fennel seeds , toasted and ground

  3. 1 tablespoon red chile flakes

  4. 1 red onion, finely chopped

  5. 1 bulb fennel, finely chopped

  6. 1 carrot, finely diced

  7. 1 rib celery, finely diced

  8. 4 cloves garlic , sliced

  9. 2 cups basic tomato sauce , recipe follows

  10. Salt and pepper to taste

  11. Ricotta gnocchi, recipe follows

  12. Pecorino Romano , grated

  13. 1 1/2 pounds fresh goat-milk ricotta

  14. 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour , or as needed

  15. 2 large eggs, beaten

  16. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

  17. 1 teaspoon salt

  18. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  19. 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  20. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  21. 1 Spanish onion , chopped in

  22. 1/4 inch dice

  23. 4 garlic cloves , peeled and thinly sliced

  24. 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried

  25. 1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded

  26. 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved

  27. Salt, to taste

Instructions Jump to Ingredients ↑

  1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, cook the sausage over high heat until it begins to brown in its own fat. Add half of the fennel seeds and chile flakes. Remove the sausage from the pan when cooked through and add the onions , fennel, carrots , celery and garlic. Cook the vegetables until they're well browned and return the sausage to the pan. Add the tomato sauce and remaining fennel seeds and chile flakes. Simmer 1/2 hour, until vegetables and sausage are very tender. Season well with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Gently slip as many gnocchi at a time as will float freely into a pot of boiling water, stirring gently with a wooden spoon as you do. Cook until the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 7 minutes. (Test 1 for doneness by cutting into the center; the gnocchi should be the same color and consistency all the way through.) Scoop them out with a wire skimmer as soon as they are cooked. Drain and add to the pan with the hot ragu, tossing gently 1 minute to coat. Top with Pecorino Romano and serve immediately.

  2. Place the ricotta in a fine sieve over a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the drained ricotta, 1 cup of the flour, the eggs, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg together gently but thoroughly until a soft dough forms, adding a little more of the flour if the dough is sticky when poked. Forming the gnocchi: dip 2 tablespoons in cool water. Using 1 spoon, scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta mixture and use the other spoon to form it into a smooth, pointed oval. (Alternatively, you can roll the mixture into balls with well-floured hands, using about 2 tablespoons ricotta mixture for each ball.) Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet lined with a lightly-floured kitchen towel.

  3. In a 3-quart saucepan , heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal . Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Yield: 4 cups

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