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Gnochetti with Lamb Ragu

Light fluffy pillows of mini Gnocchi - 'Gnocchetti' with a sweet lamb ragu makes a comforting meal.
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Servings: 2
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Gnocchetti
  • 1 kg starchy potatoes
  • 350 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Lamb Ragu
  • 1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 600 g lamb mince
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 small sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 2 x 400 g tins crushed tomatoes

Method
 

Make the Gnocchetti
  1. Boil the potatoes, skins on, in a pot of water until tender. Drain.
  2. While still warm, peel potatoes and sieve through a ricer (if you don’t own a ricer, push through a sieve). Spread out on a clean surface and allow to cool.
  3. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the potatoes and mix with your hands to combine and form a dough. You may need to dust a little flour as you do this to stop the dough sticking to the bench. Your dough should be soft but not tacky. If it is still sticky add a little extra flour, but don’t be tempted to add too much.
  4. Dust the bench with a little flour and take a small chunk of dough and roll into a 1 cm wide log. Cut into thumb-nail size pieces and set aside on a tray lined with baking paper. Make sure they are not touching each other.
  5. If you are not cooking gnocchetti straight away, place in the freezer until rock hard, then transfer into snap-lock bags. They can be cooked from frozen.
Make the Lamb Ragu
  1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pot with a lid and cook the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat until soft, around 8 minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a further minute or two, or until fragrant. If the mixture appears dry at any time, splash in a little extra olive oil.
  2. Add the lamb mince, season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle in the oregano. Turn heat up to high and brown the meat all over while stirring.
  3. Add the bay leaves, rosemary and tinned tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Check every now and then and give the mixture a stir, if it appears dry, splash in a little water to loosen.
  4. Remove the lid, check for seasoning and keep simmering while you cook the gnocchi.
  5. Tip: the sauce can now be frozen if desired. Allow to cool completely, pour into a sealed container and freeze. Thaw in the fridge or microwave before re-heating on the stove-top before serving.
Cook the Gnocchetti
  1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a generous pinch of salt. Cook the gnocchetti in batches (don’t drop them all in at once or they will stick together), remove with a slotted spoon (don’t drain in a colander as they will mush together) and transfer to a clean bowl.
  2. Carefully toss through as much ragu as you like, and either serve in individual bowls or leave in one large bowl for everyone to help themselves. Fresh bread is the Italian staple for wiping the plate clean.