Cook Like a Rock Star (25 page)

Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi with Fontina Fonduta

SERVES: 8 TO 10 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES, NOT INCLUDING OVERNIGHT PREPARATION OF CHEESES

These gnocchi are also called malfatti (which translates to “badly made”) or gnudi (which means “nude”) because essentially these are ravioli without the pasta—they’re naked! No matter what you call them, I ADORE these delicate little cheese dumplings. They’re little bundles of spinach and ricotta sitting on top of melted Fontina mixed with heavy cream, mascarpone, and egg yolks. A little bit of this dish goes a long way—right to my booty usually!

MISE EN PLACE

FOR THE GNOCCHI

2 pounds ricotta cheese

1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out, and finely chopped

4 large eggs

2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano, plus more for sprinkling

2 or 3 grates of fresh nutmeg

Kosher salt

¼ to ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

Semolina flour, as needed

FOR THE FONDUTA

1 pound Fontina cheese, cut into 1-inch squares

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup mascarpone

6 large egg yolks

You need to prepare the cheeses for this delicious dish overnight—so plan ahead!

FOR THE GNOCCHI

1
Wrap the ricotta in two layers of cheese-cloth, secure with string, and put it in a colander set over a bowl in the fridge to drain overnight; the ricotta needs to be really dry.

2
Unwrap the ricotta—the texture should be pretty dry and crumbly—and pass it through a food mill using the attachment with the biggest holes. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, eggs, Parmigiano, and nutmeg and mix well; taste and season with salt if needed. Add ¼ cup all-purpose flour to the bowl and stir. If the mixture is still very wet, add the remaining flour—you want this to be firm enough to hold its own shape.

3
Dust a baking sheet generously with all-purpose flour. Coat another baking sheet generously with semolina. Fill a disposable pastry bag (or a zip-top bag with one corner cut out) with the ricotta mixture and pipe 1-inch balls onto the flour-lined tray. Shake the tray around to coat the balls in flour, then gently roll each ball around in your hand to smooth it. Put the gnocchi on the semolina-lined tray until you’re ready to cook.

FOR THE FONDUTA

1
In a large bowl, combine the Fontina and cream, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2
Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil (BTB), then reduce to a simmer (RTS). Put the Fontina and cream in a large heatproof bowl that will sit comfortably on the saucepan without touching the water (a double boiler setup). Whisk the cream frequently until the cheese has melted; then stir in the mascarpone. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time and cook until the mixture has thickened and is hot. Turn off the heat, cover the fonduta with plastic wrap, and reserve in a warm spot.

TO ASSEMBLE THE DISH

1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat until the water just simmers and carefully add the gnocchi to the water; cook the dumplings until they float and begin to swell.

2
While the gnocchi cook, spoon the fonduta onto individual serving plates, using the back of a spoon to spread it into 4- to 5-inch circles. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully remove the gnocchi from the cooking water, blot them on a tea towel (you don’t want to make your lovely sauce watery), and arrange five gnocchi on each plate in the sauce. Sprinkle with Parm and serve.

It’s so easy being cheeeeeesy!

SERVES: 4 TO 6 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES

If you wheel your grocery cart down the rice aisle, you will not find “risotto.” Risotto is not a type of rice—it’s a method used for cooking Arborio or Carnaroli rice. And once you learn how to make risotto using my Risotto-Without-a-Recipe method, you’ll be able to make any kind of risotto simply by adding ingredients and flavorings to this basic technique.

MISE EN PLACE

Extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, cut into ¼-inch dice

Kosher salt

6 to 7 cups
chicken stock

2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

2 cups dry white wine

2 cups dry white wine ½ to ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1
Coat a large saucepan generously with olive oil and add the onions; season with salt and bring the pan to medium-high heat. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.

2
Heat the stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm.

3
Add the rice to the onions and stir; toast the rice for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. The rice should stick a little bit (not a lot) to the bottom of the pan.

4
Add enough of the wine to cover the surface of the rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the rice absorbs the wine.

5
When all the wine has been absorbed, add enough of the hot chicken stock to cover the rice. Season with salt and taste the liquid; it should taste good. Stir frequently until all the stock has been absorbed; repeat this process twice more (for a total of three additions).

6
When the last addition of the stock has been absorbed, taste a couple of grains; the rice should feel cooked but still have a little bite to it, and it should look loose and creamy (add another ladle or two of stock if the rice has tightened up).

7
Remove the pan from the heat and add the Parm and butter, whipping the risotto vigorously until well combined. Brace yourself and really whip the hell out of the rice—the Italian word for this is
mantecare,
and this is the step the Italians don’t tell you about! This sets the beautiful texture of your risotto, making it tight and creamy at the same time. Serve immediately.

Risott-ooohhh!!!!

SERVES: 4 TO 6 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES

When you use my
Risotto-Without-a-Recipe technique
, you can flavor it with anything you like. Sweet little rock shrimp, bright lemon, and fresh herbs are one of my favorite combos.

MISE EN PLACE

Extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, cut into ¼-inch dice

Kosher salt

6 to 7 cups
chicken stock

2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

2 cups dry white wine

Juice and grated zest of 2 lemons

1½ pounds rock shrimp, rinsed and picked through for any shells

½ to ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

1 bunch of fresh oregano, leaves finely chopped

1
Coat a large saucepan generously with olive oil and add the onions; season with salt and bring to medium-high heat. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.

2
Heat the stock in a medium saucepan and keep warm.

3
Add the rice to the onions and stir; toast the rice for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. The rice should stick a little bit (not a lot) to the bottom of the pan.

4
Add enough of the wine to cover the surface of the rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the rice absorbs the wine.

5
When all the wine has been absorbed, add enough of the hot chicken stock to cover the rice. Season with salt and taste the liquid; it should taste good. Stir frequently until all the stock has been absorbed; repeat this process, adding more hot stock to cover the rice and stirring until absorbed.

6
Add the final batch of chicken stock (for a total of three additions) along with the lemon juice and zest; stir. When the stock has absorbed about halfway, add the shrimp and stir continuously.

7
When the last addition of the stock has been absorbed, taste a couple of grains; the rice should feel cooked but still have a little bite to it, and it should look loose and creamy (add another ladle or two of stock if the rice has tightened up). The shrimp should be pink and plump.

8
Remove the pan from the heat and add the Parm, butter, chives, and oregano, whipping the risotto vigorously until well combined—then serve.

Rockin’ risotto!