As a young girl I always hung out around the cooks. Whether they were preparing food to be cooked or cooking the food. One very fond memory that I have is making gnocchi with my aunt, grandmother and mother. We would spend hours in our basement at a big round table rolling the gnocchi on the prongs of the fork to get a ridge effect on the gnocchi. I loved sitting there and listening to their conversations. They were mostly in Italian but I could understand some of it. After the gnocchi were made, they were used in a big family meal. My favourite way to eat gnocchi is with a beef Bolognese sauce. My aunt makes the most ridiculously good Bolognese. This dish seems like a lot of work but it is actually really easy and delicious. I hope you will try it!
With Love,
Jules
Beef Bolognese with Ricotta Gnocchi
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My Zia’s Beef Bolognese with Ricotta Gnocchi
Description
This recipe was inspired by my childhood. It’s a perfect recipe to create on a Sunday with the whole family. Start the sauce in the morning and then create the gnocchi an hour before the sauce is done cooking. Get the whole family involved in the rolling of the gnocchi. It’s a lot of fun!
Ingredients
Beef Bolognese Sauce
Serves 6–8 people
3 tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped onion
1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped carrot
1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped celery stalk
1 lb (500 g) ground beef
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 ¼ cups (300 mL) whole milk
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg
1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine
2 cups (500 mL) chopped tomatoes with juice
RICOTTA GNOCCHI
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings –
2 lb (1 kg) ricotta cheese
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
2/3 cup (150 mL) Tipo oo flour, plus additional for dusting
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (50 mL) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Add the oil, butter and onions in a large deep skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until it has become translucent, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.
- Add the celery and carrot and stir until all the vegetables are coated with the oil. Cook for about 2 minutes until the carrot and celery are slightly softened.
- Add the ground beef along with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often and using the back of a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small chunks, for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is browned. Drain, if necessary.
- Add the milk and nutmeg; while stirring frequently, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Add wine and let simmer about 3 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
- Stir in the tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring every 30 minutes or so. If mixture is looking dry and starts to stick, stir in ¼ cup (50 mL) water or stock whenever necessary.
- Meanwhile, make the Ricotta Gnocchi (recipe below). This Bolognese sauce is cooked when there is little water left and the fat separates out. Before serving, taste the sauce for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
- To serve, add the cooked gnocchi to the hot Bolognese sauce and stir gently to coat. Divide the coated gnocchi evenly among bowls and top each with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
RICOTTA GNOCCHI
- Drain the water from the ricotta using a cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve. Add ricotta to a large bowl. Use your hands to form a well in the middle of the mound. Add egg and egg yolk into the well you have created. Gently mix the eggs into the ricotta with your hands.
- Sift the flour over the ricotta and egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Gently combine the flour using your hands. The dough will be slightly sticky. Incorporate more flour if it feels too wet and sticky.
- Flour a clean work surface and take out about a handful of the dough at a time. Roll the dough into a log that is about ¾ inch wide. With a floured knife, trim the end of the log and discard it. To make the gnocchi, cut the roll into equal pieces that are about 1 inch long each. Transfer the cut gnocchi to a lightly floured baking sheet.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Stir gently to prevent them from sticking together. As they float to the surface of the water (about 2 minutes) remove them with a slotted spoon to a separate baking sheet, that has been lightly greased, to cool. Set aside.
Notes
*If you want to create this recipe in your Instant Pot, you can do steps 1-6 in the Instant Pot on the “saute” function. Once you have completed step 6, you would put the lid on your Instant Pot and set it for 45 minutes – 1 hour on the pressure cook function.
*The Ricotta gnocchi can be made ahead of time and frozen. When you are ready to use the gnocchi, boil them as you would if made fresh.
