Photo: Gnocchi with Blush Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Gnocchi and spinach gnocchi:
- 2 pounds potatoes (about 4 large potatoes), peeled and cut into chunks, boiled and cooled to room temperature
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup steamed spinach, cooled, and chopped fine in a food processor
- 1/4 cup milk (approximately), if needed to moisten dough
Blush Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup hot milk
- 1 (8-ounce) can chunky tomato sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces soft cream cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
Directions
Mash potatoes in a bowl and 1 cup of the flour, reserving the rest to use if the gnocchi is not light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add beaten egg and cheese and mix everything well. Remove half the mixture to a separate bowl and stir in the chopped spinach. Knead the ingredients in each bowl lightly and on a floured board form into long cylinders. The gnocchi should have a light texture which is cohesive enough to remain whole while it is being boiled. If the mixture in either bowl is too wet, add the additional flour until the proper consistency is achieved. Conversely add milk if the dough is too dry, using only enough as needed to bring the dough together. Cut the long cylinders into pieces about 1-inch long and crimp with your fingertips into gnocchi dumplings which are roughly marquise-shaped.
Bring a pot of water to boil for the gnocchi.
For the sauce:
Melt butter in a saucepan which will be large enough to accommodate the pound of cooked gnocchi, and saute onion until it becomes translucent. Mix in the flour to make a roux. Gradually add milk and allow to thicken. Stir in tomato sauce and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add cream cheese. Blend with an immersion blender. Immediately cover surface of sauce with a sheet of plastic wrap and set aside briefly.
Boil the gnocchi until al dente, drain, transfer to a serving dish, and spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with chives.
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By super_mommy
Alabama
on March 29, 2011
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This is delicious . It takes some time to learn how to make a proper roux so you might want to practice on your sauce making skills before attempting . This was a delicious dishe. Blush sauce what a cute name for such a yummy and beautiful sauce . Loved it
By sedaniel
Detroit, MI
on February 26, 2011
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These gnocchi were some of the most delicious I've had. They are so light and fluffy, what a great recipe! I did have to make some adjustments to the sauce. In retrospect I believe it is a little too much flour to make the roux with (next time I will use maybe 1/3 of a cup instead of 1/2. Also, try googling "how to make a roux" if you have never made one before to make sure you have the technique down (and don't dump in all the flour at once, add a couple tablespoons at a time. I also added 2 cups of hot milk instead of 1 cup to make it more sauce-like. Basically if it is thicker than you want, add some more liquid (water or milk and if it is thinner than you'd like, add a little flour or let it simmer and thicken up. Cooking isn't an exact science like baking is, so just improvise if you need to in order to make it a tasty meal : Very yummy with the cream cheese too!
By tara_strib_422421
Frisco, TX
on February 28, 2010
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I can't believe I didn't read the previous reviews prior to making this sauce. It was a thick clump of a mess that I could barely choke down. What a waste! My guess is that with a lot more liquid and half the flour a nice sauce might could be made.
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