SPINACH AND POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• 1 Place the potatoes in a large pot with cold water to cover. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. 2 Place the spinach in a large pot with 1/2 cup of water and salt to taste. Cover and cook until the spinach is tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool. Place the spinach in a towel and squeeze out the liquid. Very finely chop the spinach. 3 While the potatoes are still warm, peel them and cut them into chunks. Mash the potatoes using the smallest holes of a ricer or food mill, or by hand with a potato masher. Add the spinach, egg, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the flour just until blended. The dough will be stiff. 4 Scrape the potatoes onto a floured surface. Knead briefly, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary to make a soft dough, enough so that the gnocchi will hold their shape when cooked but not so much that they become heavy. The dough should be slightly sticky. If you are in doubt, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and drop in a piece of the dough as a test. Cook until the gnocco rises to the surface. If the dough begins to come apart, add more flour. Otherwise the dough is fine. 5 Set the dough aside for a moment. Scrape the board to remove any dough scraps. Wash and dry your hands, then dust them with flour. Set out one or two large baking pans and dust them with flour. 6 Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Keeping the remaining dough covered, roll one piece into a long rope about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the rope into 1/2-inch nuggets. 7 To shape the dough, hold a fork in one hand with the tines pointed down. With the thumb of the other hand, roll each piece of dough over the back of the tines, pressing lightly to make ridges on one side and an indentation on the other. Let the gnocchi drop onto the prepared pans. The pieces should not touch. Repeat with the remaining dough. 8 Refrigerate the gnocchi until ready to cook. (Gnocchi can also be frozen. Place the baking sheets in the freezer for one hour or until firm. Put the gnocchi in a large heavy-duty plastic bag. Freeze up to one month. Do not thaw before cooking.) 9 Prepare the sauce. To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to taste. Lower the heat so that the water boils gently. Drop about half of the gnocchi into the water. Cook for about 30 seconds after the gnocchi rise to the surface. Skim the gnocchi from the pot with a slotted spoon, draining the pieces well. 10 Have ready a heated shallow serving bowl. Pour a thin layer of the hot sauce into the bowl. Add the gnocchi and toss gently. Cook the remaining gnocchi in the same way. Spoon on more sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Serve hot. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.