Spinach Gnocchi

1 1/2 pounds of spinach
1/2 cup ricotta
3 extra-large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons of butter or extra-virgin
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Makes about 100 gnocchi pellets

1. Cook about 1 1/2 pounds of spinach to get 1 cup. Firmly squeeze the cooked spinach in your hands to wring out any water. Put the spinach in a food processor with 1/2 cup ricotta, 3 extra-large eggs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, and 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Puree for about 1 minute.

2. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and work in 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage, 1 tablespoon salt, a big pinch of pepper, and a small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Add a little more flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers.

3. Roll the dough out into five rolls, each about 15 inches long and 3/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into 3/4-inch pellets (you should get about twenty pellets per roll). Poach the pellets in a large skillet filled with simmering water for about 7 minutes.

4. Lift the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer them to a bowl with 3 tablespoons of butter or extra-virgin.

Excerpted from Vegetables Revised by James Peterson. Copyright © 2012 by James Peterson. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission from the publisher.