Strangolapreti (spinach and bread gnocchi) – The Pasta Mission

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 often served in a easy sage and butter sauce. So tasty and comforting, these dumplings are a brilliant approach to make use of up leftover stale bread.

Historical past and origins.

These Northern Italian spinach and bread gnocchi are stated up to now again to not less than the 14^th century. Also called ‘strozzapreti’, you could find 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 completely different components 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, beneath a system referred to 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 monks had a popularity for taking greater than their fair proportion of the farm produce (crops, eggs, chickens, greens, cattle).  

Many farming households had been giant and included grandparents, dad and mom and kids. Having to reside off solely half the farm’s manufacturing was troublesome, and these individuals 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 principally the identical, there’s a slight distinction within the components 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 completely different to those from Lombardy as a result of they typically embody cooked onion, sautéed spinach and cheese within the gnocchi combination. Nonetheless, completely different variations do exist in each Trentino and Lombardy.

Substances, ideas and substitutions.

Bread: Historically, strangolapreti are created from stale nation bread that has been reduce into small cubes and soaked in milk. Some individuals use breadcrumbs (selfmade 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 high-quality as a substitute.

Spinach: Italians often use contemporary 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 utilize both, and even Swiss chard or beet greens (each with out the stems).

Flour: This recipe requires Italian ‘00’ high-quality gentle wheat flour. It’s also possible to use plain or all-purpose flour. It’s necessary to keep away from including an excessive amount of flour because the strangolapreti might turn out to be heavy.

Nutmeg: Italians use quite a lot of nutmeg, in each candy and savory recipes. This spice provides a stunning barely candy, nutty taste. Freshly grated is finest.

Eggs: I used 1 giant natural egg, yolk solely. Use 2 in case your eggs are small.

Step-by-step directions.

First, reduce the stale bread into small cubes, place it in a bowl with the milk. Combine nicely and go away to soak for not less than 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 picket 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 fingers to squeeze out as a lot liquid as potential 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 nicely. 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 fingers. 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 coated with oven paper and dusted with flour. Repeat with the remainder of the combination.

Extra ideas 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 fingers. Reasonably than use quite a lot of flour, you can even add some breadcrumbs as a substitute.

Cooks tip: The dumpling combination is sticky so moist fingers actually make it simple to form them. You’ll want to scrub your fingers and moist them once more a few instances whereas shaping them. Alternatively, some olive or different vegetable oil in your fingers can stop the combination sticking to you.

Cooks tip: To make certain the quantity of flour is appropriate, it’s a good suggestion to cook 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 should add just a little 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 cook dinner till the sage begins to crisp and the butter turns just a little 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 may preserve 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.

Pin for later.

Let me know what you assume.

It is a basic and historic dish from the Italian mountains and a wondeful recipe to convey a style of Italy to your desk. In the event 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 Mission Fb web page.

Buon Appetito and all the perfect from Verona, Italy.

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