About the Recipe
One of the more time consuming but fun dishes you can prepare with a partner or group of friends that is paired with a delicious ragu. Colloquially referred to perhaps as a type of bolognese, I maintain that it should be called a ragu as a ‘bolognese’ doesn’t actually exist.
Ingredients
For the gnocchi
2-4 potatoes depending on size
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
100g of flour (including dusting; you probably will not need all of this)
For the Ragu
500g mince beef
3 cloves garlic
1 onion finely sliced/roughly chopped into small bits
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 beef stock cube/pot
1 glass red wine
1 can tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots roughly chopped
Grated parmesan to serve
1 parmesan rind if you have it (always save the rind as it is a great addition to stock and builds a lot of flavour)
Preparation
For the gnocchi
Boil the potatoes until fork tender
Peel the skin perhaps when hot, perhaps before. If you’re in a hurry do it when hot as that is generally quicker and if you can it is usually better.
Use a potato ricer or masher to mash the potatoes.
Add your flour then mix in. DO NOT KNEAD. Adjust your flour by adding more if you need it, when you cut it it should look like a very dense bread roll.
Roll it out using the bottom of your knuckles (palm side) with your fingers outstretched and pushing gently.
Roll until they are around 2cm thick then use a bench scraper or a knife and cut them, using your wrist towards the end of the cut to flick them to the side so they don’t stick.
To cook them simply boil them in slightly salted water until they float.
For your Ragu
Lightly fry your onion then add garlic and tomato paste. Then move slightly to one side and add your beef. Fry until it develops some colour.
Then add all the rest of your ingredients and bring to a boil, if you need, add a small splash of water.
To serve gently mix the two so as not to break the gnocchi then top with parmesan.