Gnocchi Al Ragu Di Manzo – Gnocchi With Beef Ragu

Gnocchi Al Ragu Di Manzo – Gnocchi With Beef Ragu

Ingredients and Methods

Preparation
1.5 hrs
Cooking
3 hrs
Serves
6

Ingredients

Ragu

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 Cups chopped onions
  • 100g Pancetta finely chopped
  • 50g Prosciutto, finely chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1kg Wagyu beef chuck, small cubes
  • 4 Cups beef stock
  • 5 Sage leaves
  • 200g Tomato paste
  • 100ml Italia Red Wine
  • 1lt Tomato Passata (homemade if possible!)

Gnocchi

  • 6 Small desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • 1 ½ Tsp Salt
  • Pinch Ground nutmeg
  • 1 ½ Cups (about) type ‘00’ flour or plain flour

Serving Ingredients

  • 50g Butter
  • 1 Wedge of Parmesan cheese
  • Some Fresh basil (optional)
  • Some Small pitted ligurian olives

Instructions

PREPARATION

Heat oil in heavy based large pot over medium heat. Add onions, pancetta, prosciutto, and garlic and sauté until mixture begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add beef cubes and seal well until browned, 10 minutes. Add red wine to de-glaze for 5 minutes. Then add tomato passata, tomato paste, sage, basil and stock and simmer for approximately 2 ½ hours. Simmer until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. and thinning with about 1 cup water every 30 minutes, about 1 1/2

FOR THE GNOCCHI – Steam potatoes over boiling water until tender, about 18 minutes. Working in batches, press warm potatoes through ricer into large bowl. Cool until lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Add egg yolks, salt, and nutmeg and blend well. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix until soft and slightly sticky dough forms, adding more flour if too moist – but do not knead the dough too fast or they will become like rocks!

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Divide into 6 equal portions. Gently roll 1 dough portion between hands and work surface to 3/4-inch-thick rope about 20 inches long. Cut into 3/4-inch-long pieces.

Arrange gnocchi in single layer on floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 5 dough portions.

Cook 1/3 of gnocchi in large pot of boiling generously salted water until gnocchi rise to top and are cooked through and tender, about 5 minutes (check at 4 minutes). Using large strainer or slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to large baking pan, arrange gnocchi in single layer. Cook remaining gnocchi in 2 batches. (Gnocchi can be prepared ahead. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.)

SERVING

Have a large pot with ½ of the ragu’ simmering, and also another pot to blanch the gnocchi before adding to the sauce

Portion the gnocchi in bowls and adding another ladle of ragu’ over the top, adding a couple black olives and torn fresh basil leaves to garnish

Shave parmesan over the top (optional)

Chef Nino Cea

In 1981, Nino Cea opened Geppetto Trattoria with the vision to create an unpretentious eatery that focused on Italian home-style cooking. This idea was inspired by those eateries found in his hometown region of Puglia in Italy… (more)

here to view all of Chef Nino Cea’s recipes.

Nino Cea

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