Strangolapreti are scrumptious Italian spinach and bread gnocchi (dumplings) conventional in Jap Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. Made with bread, spinach, eggs and cheese or flour, strangolapreti are normally served in a easy sage and butter sauce. So tasty and comforting, these dumplings are an excellent method to make use of up leftover stale bread.
Historical past and origins.
These Northern Italian spinach and bread gnocchi are mentioned thus far again to at the least the 14th century. Also called ‘strozzapreti’, yow will discover equally named gnocchi in Corsica and Naples. As well as, Italy additionally has a kind of flour and water pasta referred to as strozzapreti or strangolapreti, which is conventional in Central and Southern areas.
The names ‘strangolapreti’ and ‘strozzapreti’ each translate to priest chokers or stranglers. Since, each names are utilized in totally different elements of Italy, evidently they had been impressed by a sure animosity in direction of the clergy all through the nation, significantly among the many peasant inhabitants.
Way back to the Center Ages, a lot of Italy’s rural inhabitants had been sharecroppers who, underneath a system often known as Mezzadria, had to surrender half of their crops and produce to the landowners. Not solely, was a lot of the land owned by the Church, however the clergymen had a popularity for taking greater than their fair proportion of the farm produce (crops, eggs, chickens, greens, cattle).
Many farming households had been massive and included grandparents, mother and father and youngsters. Having to stay off solely half the farm’s manufacturing was tough, and these folks struggled to manage. It’s most likely from this that anti-clerical pasta names had been born!
Several types of strangolapreti gnocchi.
As I discussed above these spinach and bread gnocchi referred to as strangolapreti come from Jap Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. Though the 2 recipes are mainly the identical, there’s a slight distinction within the elements used.
I based mostly this recipe on one I discovered on a web site referred to as BuonaLombardia. It is a portal revealed by the Lombardy area with details about native wines, produce, and locations to go to, in addition to some conventional recipes.
Strangolapreti from Trentino- Alto Adige are barely totally different to those from Lombardy as a result of they typically embody cooked onion, sautéed spinach and cheese within the gnocchi combination. Nevertheless, totally different variations do exist in each Trentino and Lombardy.
Substances, suggestions and substitutions.
Bread: Historically, strangolapreti are comprised of stale nation bread that has been lower into small cubes and soaked in milk. Some folks use breadcrumbs (home made or retailer purchased). Though I haven’t made spinach gnocchi with breadcrumbs, I’ve one other recipe for bread gnocchi from Umbria that makes use of breadcrumbs. So, I believe they are often included on this recipe too.
Milk: I used natural complete milk, however decrease fats milk ought to be effective as a substitute.
Spinach: Italians normally use recent spinach or erbette for this recipe. The latter, also called perpetual spinach or spinach beet, is a kind of chard that’s truly accessible all 12 months spherical right here in Italy. It additionally tastes similar to spinach. I used erbette however you should use both, and even Swiss chard or beet greens (each with out the stems).
Flour: This recipe requires Italian ‘00’ effective mushy wheat flour. You may as well use plain or all-purpose flour. It’s necessary to keep away from including an excessive amount of flour because the strangolapreti could change into heavy.
Nutmeg: Italians use a number of nutmeg, in each candy and savory recipes. This spice provides a beautiful barely candy, nutty taste. Freshly grated is greatest.
Eggs: I used 1 massive natural egg, yolk solely. Use 2 in case your eggs are small.
Step-by-step directions.
First, lower the stale bread into small cubes, place it in a bowl with the milk. Combine effectively and go away to soak for at the least an hour.
Subsequent, place a big frying pan or pan over a excessive warmth and add the washed spinach or erbette with only a sprinkle of water. Cowl with a lid for a few minutes while it wilts. Use a wood spoon or tongs to stir the greens till all of the leaves are wilted.
Then, switch the greens to a sieve to empty and funky. Use your arms to squeeze out as a lot liquid as doable after which chop finely.
Cook dinner’s tip: I typically squeeze the spinach in a tea towel to take away the liquid.
Squeeze the bread to take away any entry milk (it’ll have most likely absorbed most of it) and put the bread in a bowl with the spinach, egg yolk, nutmeg, and blend effectively. Use an immersion blender to create a tough purée.
Add the flour little by little and proceed mixing till the combination begins to dry up and types a dough. The combination ought to be sticky however simple to form with moist arms. Lastly add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Take a small tablespoon of the gnocchi dough and form it right into a ball or cylinder. Place the prepared strangolapreti on a tray lined with oven paper and dusted with flour. Repeat with the remainder of the combination.
Extra suggestions for fulfillment!
Cooks tip: The much less flour you employ, the lighter and airier the dumplings shall be. The combination ought to be simply stiff sufficient to roll into the dumpling shapes utilizing oiled or moist arms. Slightly than use a number of flour, you may also add some breadcrumbs as a substitute.
Cooks tip: The dumpling combination is sticky so moist arms actually make it simple to form them. You’ll want to wash your arms and moist them once more a few occasions whereas shaping them. Alternatively, some olive or different vegetable oil in your arms can stop the combination sticking to you.
Cooks tip: To make sure the quantity of flour is right, it’s a good suggestion to prepare dinner a tester gnocchi earlier than making all of them. Put one prepared dumpling into salted boiling water. It ought to rise to the highest after a minute or two. If it falls aside, then you might want to add a little bit extra flour.
Cook dinner and serve.
Put a pot of water onto boil for the strangolapreti, add salt as soon as it begins to boil and convey to a boil once more. While you’re ready for the water to boil, add the butter to a big frying pan over a medium warmth. As soon as the butter melts, add the sage leaves and proceed to prepare dinner till the sage begins to crisp and the butter turns a little bit brown.
Cook dinner the bread and spinach gnocchi within the salted boiling water in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan. They’re cooked as soon as they rise to the floor. Use a slotted spoon to switch the prepared gnocchi to the pan with the butter. Combine gently to coat the dumplings within the butter after which serve heat, with grated Grana Padano if desired.
What to do with leftovers.
You’ll be able to hold leftover stangolapreti sealed within the fridge for as much as 3 days. To reheat both use a microwave, sauté in a pan with extra butter or bake in a very popular oven with some butter and cheese for simply 5-10 minutes.
This recipe is vegetarian apart from the usage of Grana Padano when serving. Use a vegetarian cheese as a substitute as Italian Grana and Parmigiano are made with animal rennet.
You’ll be able to put together the strangolapreti combination and hold it sealed within the fridge for 1-2 days. If you wish to make the dumplings prematurely, solely sooner or later forward is healthier. Additionally, place them on a effectively floured floor in order that they don’t keep on with the plate or tray. Italian semolina flour is greatest for this.
Pin for later.
Let me know what you assume.
It is a basic and historical dish from the Italian mountains and a wondeful recipe to carry a style of Italy to your desk. Should you do attempt strangolapreti gnocchi, please let me know what you assume! Write a remark right here on the weblog or submit a touch upon the Pasta Undertaking Fb web page.
Buon Appetito and all the very best from Verona, Italy.
Strangolapreti spinach and bread gnocchi (dumplings)
Strangolapreti are scrumptious spinach and bread gnocchi (dumplings) conventional in Jap Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. Made with bread, spinach, eggs and flour,strangolapreti are normally served in a easy sage and browned butter sauce.
Substances
- 17.5 ounces recent spinach or erbette
- 10.5 ounces stale nation bread lower into small cubes
- 7 Fluid ounces recent milk
- 3 ounces flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
- 1 egg yolk massive or 2 small
- salt to prepare dinner gnocchi and to style
- pepper to style
For the dressing
- 2.5 ounces butter
- 6-8 sage leaves
- 2 ounces Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano or vegetarian parmesan
Directions
-
Reduce the stale bread into small cubes, place it in a bowl with the milk. Combine effectively and go away to soak for at the least an hour.
-
Place a big frying pan over a excessive warmth and add the washed spinach or erbette with only a sprinkle of water. Cowl with a lid for a few minutes while it wilts. Use a wood spoon or tongs to stir the greens till all of the leaves are wilted. Switch to a sieve to empty and funky. Use your arms to squeeze out as a lot liquid as doable after which chop finely.
-
Squeeze the bread to take away any entry milk (it’ll have most likely absorbed most of it) and put the bread in a bowl with the spinach and egg yolk. Combine collectively effectively and use an immersion blender to make a tough puréè.
-
Add the flour little by little and proceed mixing till the combination begins to dry up and types a mushy dough. The combination ought to be fairly sticky however simple to form with moist arms.
-
Take a small tablespoon of the gnocchi dough and form it right into a ball or cylinder. Place the prepared strangolapreti on a tray lined with oven paper which you will have dusted with flour. Repeat with the remainder of the combination.
Cook dinner and serve
-
Put a pot of water onto boil for the strangolapreti add salt as soon as it begins to boil and convey to a boil once more. While you’re ready for the water to boil, add the butter to a big frying pan over a medium warmth. As soon as the butter melts, add the sage leaves and proceed to prepare dinner till the sage begins to crisp and the butter turns a little bit brown.
-
Cook dinner the gnocchi within the salted boiling water in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan. They’re cooked as soon as they rise to the floor. Use a slotted spoon to switch the prepared gnocchi to the pan with the butter. Combine gently to coat the dumplings within the butter after which serve heat, with grated Grana Padano if desired.
Forestall your display from going darkish
Notes
Cooks tip: The gnocchi combination is sticky so moist arms actually make it simple to form them. You’ll want to wash your arms and moist them once more a few occasions whereas shaping them. Alternatively, some olive or different vegetable oil in your arms can stop the combination sticking to you.
Cooks tip: To make sure the quantity of flour is right, it’s a good suggestion to prepare dinner one gnocchi earlier than making all of them. Put one prepared dumpling into salted boiling water. It ought to rise to the highest after a minute or two. If it falls aside, then you might want to add a little bit extra flour.
This recipe is vegetarian apart from the usage of Grana Padano when serving. Use a vegetarian cheese as a substitute as Italian Grana and Parmigiano are made with animal rennet.
Vitamin
Energy: 539kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 21gFats: 25gSaturated Fats: 14gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 6gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 103mgSodium: 813mgPotassium: 921mgFiber: 6gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 12334IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 461mgIron: 7mg
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