Recipe Nettle Gnocchi with Herbed Oil

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Another of my time old recipes, undated but back to the last centaury...
I love this one because it uses nettles, but if you don't have any nettles around, then spinach and sorrel leaves will also work, as would any other fresh greens. But Spring is the time of year to pick nettles. You will need thick marigolds and I would suggest some cotton inners for them from experience. A bucket and a sharp knife are also very useful. Nettles no longer sting once they have hit boiling water, but many people are off put even by the concept. Don't be. They are very tasty and much nicer than Spinach which can be very watery and bland. Only pick the top couple of clusters of leaves. Look for nice bright green ones. Darker green nettles have much more 'taste' but are also tougher and carry more acid which is the reason for the boiling water turning brown!

Ingredients
generous 150g young fresh nettle tops.
500g ricotta cheese
4 medium egg yolks
pinch of allspice
150g Gruyere or Comte cheese (parmesan will do though)
150-200g self raising flour
seasoning

For the Herbed Oil
A small bunch of mixed chopped herbs of your choice, such as basil, rosemary, garlic, etc.
6tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Mix the chopped herbs (or individual - this is your choice and it will work with whatever you prefer, so if you only want garlic oil, only add crushed garlic to the oil) with the olive oil in a small container. If you can leave this to stand overnight or for a couple of hours, the flavour will improve.
2. Bring a very large pan of water to the boil for the nettles to be blanched in. You will need to add salt to it, roughly 1tbsp per 5L or so... A pressure cooker is ideal for this. Add the nettle tops in small batches to the boiling water and blanch for a couple of minutes at a time - you will see a colour change, that is your reference point to pull the nettles out of the water. Drain and squeeze dry in a tea-towel or clean cloth. You want them as dry as possible. Now chop finely. (If you are using spinach or anything else, you need to do exactly the same - just adjust the time in the water to ensure that they are well blanched.)
3. Put the leaves in a bowl with the ricotta, egg yolks, allspice, cheese, 150g of flour and salt and pepper. Mix well and work in to a firm dough. Use extra flour as needed - the amount will depend entirely on how dry you managed to get your greens.
4. Cut the dough into quarters, take one of the quarters and roll into a long sausage about 2cm thick. Cut segments about 1cm thick off this sausage and flatten slightly with the back of a fork, and place on a lightly floured surface. Repeat until all of the quarters are done.
5. Heat the 4 plates or bowls with either boiling water or in the microwave so that you are serving warmed dishes. Slightly warming the herbed oil will also assist but this is a personal thing.
6. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the prepared gnocchi and cook for 2-5 minutes. The gnocchi will float when they are cooked., Drain and divide between the 4 heated bowls/plates and serve with the oil and freshly ground black pepper. A touch extra Comte or Gruyere will add to the dish as will a little of whatever herb you used in the oil, as a garnish.

 

[Morning Glory]

I'm assuming this is for the 'allspice' challenge (as well as the Recipe Challenge)? I've added an allspice tag.