Equipment
Ingredients
Gnocchi Base
- 250 g stale white bread, crusts removed, diced into 2cm cubes
- 200 ml whole milk
- 300 g fresh spinach, washed, tough stems removed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 50 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
- 100 g plain flour
- ground nutmeg
- fine sea salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Tomato Sauce
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic, minced
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 10 g fresh basil, roughly torn
- fine sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 478 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 61 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fiber
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 1545 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 107 mg
- Potassium
- 975 mg
- Calcium
- 767 mg
- Iron
- 7.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 117 mg
- Phosphorus
- 342 mg
- Zinc
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 469 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 32 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 383 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.45 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.56 mg
- Niacin
- 3.8 mg
- Folate
- 248 mcg
- Water
- 166 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the diced stale bread into a mixing bowl and pour the milk evenly over the top. Toss gently to coat, then let it soak at room temperature until the bread is completely softened.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fresh spinach and blanch until wilted. Remove the spinach and transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water to preserve the green color. Retain the pot of boiling water for later.
Drain the cooled spinach thoroughly. Place it in a clean kitchen towel and wring it out aggressively to extract as much water as possible. Finely chop the dry spinach.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute briefly until fragrant but not browned. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, add a pinch of salt, and simmer gently while you prepare the dumplings. Stir in the torn basil just before serving.
Using your hands, squeeze out any unabsorbed milk from the soaked bread. Discard the excess milk. In a large dry bowl, combine the squeezed bread, chopped spinach, beaten eggs, grated cheese, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Mash together until uniform.
Gradually fold the flour into the bread mixture. Stop adding flour when the dough holds its shape, even if you have not used the full amount. The dough should be slightly tacky but manageable.
Dust your hands and a clean work surface with extra flour. Pinch off small portions of the dough and roll them into 2 to 3 centimeter balls or oval quenelles. Place the shaped dumplings on a lightly floured tray.
Return the large pot of salted water to a gentle boil at 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). Drop the dumplings into the water in small batches. Cook until they rise to the surface, then let them float for 30 seconds to ensure the egg and flour are fully cooked.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the floating dumplings directly into the simmering tomato sauce. Toss very gently to coat the dumplings in the sauce without breaking them. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Squeezing the spinach completely dry is the most critical step of this recipe. Any residual water will require you to add more flour, which inevitably leads to heavy, dense dumplings.
- The hydration of stale bread varies wildly depending on the loaf. Add the milk slowly, and always squeeze out any excess before mixing to maintain the correct dough hydration.
- Always boil a single test dumpling first. If it falls apart in the water, adjust your remaining dough with a little extra flour before rolling the rest of the batch.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store sauce and cooked dumplings separately if possible to maintain texture.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet before transferring to a sealed bag.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet with the sauce over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Troubleshooting
Dumplings dissolve or fall apart in the boiling water
Cause: Dough contains too much moisture or not enough flour binding
Fix: Fold an additional 20 to 30 grams of flour into the remaining raw dough before shaping the rest of the batch.
Prevention: Aggressively squeeze all excess water from the spinach and milk from the bread before mixing.
Dumplings are heavy, dense, or tough
Cause: Too much flour was added, or the dough was overworked
Fix: Cannot be fixed once shaped and boiled.
Prevention: Add flour gradually and stop as soon as the dough holds its shape. Mix with a light hand.
Cultural Context
Strangolapreti, which humorously translates to priest chokers, originates from the Trentino region of northern Italy. This rustic dish embodies the philosophy of cucina povera, utilizing leftover stale bread and garden greens rather than expensive potato or ricotta. While traditionally finished in brown butter and sage, pairing them with a vibrant tomato sauce highlights their earthy spinach flavor while providing a bright Mediterranean acidity.
