Making the gnocchi was much like making both filling of stuffed shells, and making pasta at the same time. I first combined the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl, and once that was completely mixed I added flour until the batter was of a pasta consistency.
The dough with all its' speckles of herbs and seasonings is then rolled out into a long log shape and then cut into gnocchi pieces. I had absolutely no idea of what gnocchi is supposed to look like, so I found a video that showed me how. All he did was cut 3/4 inch pieces on the diagonal. He did a much better job of flinging them into a neat pile on the table with his knife than I did. Mostly my pieces stuck to the table. Perhaps I should have added a bit more flour.
Anyway, once they're all cut into precious shapes they go into a pot of boiling water (good to add a touch of oil so they don't stick together).
They only boil for a few minutes; once they start bobbing along the surface they're pretty well done. I didn't have any tomatoes to make a sauce so I just used a can (for shame, I know!), and it did turn out really well. The gnocchi with the tomato sauce topping tasted remarkably like stuffed shells -- so decadent!
I love that baking not only entails making desserts, but also making food that you can eat for a satisfying and healthy meal. If you have the right ingredients your baking adventure can be extremely good for you, whereas desserts are typically reserved for a sweet after dinner indulgence.
I love how versatile baking can be!
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