Greatest recipes ever Rose Prince chooses Elizabeth David’s verdi ‘A dish of these light and buttery is incomparably comforting, and it’s a perfect recipe that works every time, too’ Rose Prince

Ravioli O Gnocchi Verdi (Green ravioli or Gnocchi) Extract from Italian Food by Elizabeth David Published by Penguin

Although this dish is now usually known as gnocchi (and the most delicious of all the tribe), they were originally, and in some parts of Tuscany still are, called ravioli.

Ingredients 450g/1lb of chopped spinach For Rose Prince (left), gnocchi verdi is the ultimate comfort food 225g/8oz of ricotta 40g/1½oz of grated Parmesan Take them out with a perfor- four people for a first course. If 2 eggs ated draining spoon, drain they are to be the mainstay of 3 tablespoonfuls of them carefully in a colander a meal, make the quantities half A little butter or sieve, and when the first as much again; but as the cook- Salt batch is ready, slide them into ing of these gnocchi is an Pepper a shallow fireproof dish already unfamiliar process to most Nutmeg prepared with half of the melted people, it is advisable to try out butter and a thin layer of grated the dish with not more than For the Parmesan cheese. Put the dish the quantities given. 55g/2oz of melted butter in the oven to keep hot while the I am indebted for this recipe Plenty of grated Parmesan spinach mixture, roll them in rest of the gnocchi are cooked. to Mr Derek Hill’s Florentine the flour, and when they are all When all of them are done, cook, Giulia. Method ready, drop them carefully into put the rest of the butter and Cook the cleaned spinach with a large pan of barely simmering, a generous amount of cheese Rose Prince is a food writer a little salt but no water. Drain slightly salted water. over them and leave the dish in and broadcaster. Her books it, press it absolutely dry, then (Do not be alarmed if the mix- the oven for 5 minutes. include The Savvy Shopper chop it finely. Put it into a pan ture seems rather soft; the eggs This quantity is sufficient for and The New English Table with salt, pepper, nutmeg, a nub and the flour hold the gnocchi of butter, and the mashed ricotta. together as soon as they are put Stir all the ingredients together into the boiling water) And to drink... over a low flame for 5 minutes. Either the gnocchi must be I’ve eaten this dish many times, and I’ve always been torn Remove the pan from the fire cooked in a very large saucepan between white and red wine. Here, without a tomato-based and beat in the eggs, the grated or else the operation must sauce and with all that rich Parmesan, these mild flavours Parmesan, and the flour. Leave be carried out in two or three of ricotta and spinach definitely need a fragrant white wine. the mixture in the refrigerator relays, as there must be plenty 2009 Saladini Pilastri Falerio dei Colli Ascolani, (£6.25, for several hours, or, better, of room for them in the pan. The Wine Society) is dry and crisp, but has enough stuffing in overnight. When they rise to the top, which the form of fleshy and ripe kernel fruit. If you do decide to add Spread a pastry board with will be in 5 to 8 minutes, they a tomato sauce, look for a juicy and forward red such as flour, form little croquettes are ready. They will disintegrate a Barbera or Montepulciano. Chosen by Amelia Pinsent

Martin Martin Brigdale/Photolibrary; Rex Features about the size of a cork with the if left too long.

90 Country Life, October 13, 2010 www.countrylife.co.uk