Thread: REC: Spinach Meatballs

"jmcquown" <[email protected]>
news:[email protected]: in rec.food.cooking

> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
> chat) gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>

<snipped and saved>

This is a keeper. They look easy to make too. These go on my never ending
*to do* list ;-)

Michael


--
Christy's page at the caringbridge site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini

Find me at: - michael at lonergan dot us dot com

"jmcquown" ha scritto nel messaggio
> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in chat)
> > gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
She called them "spinach meatballs"
> but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.

That's ravioli gnudi, in other words.

jmcquown wrote:

> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
> chat) gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>
> She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
> nothing was lost in the translation. She called them "spinach
> meatballs" but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>
> 1 lb. cooked spinach leaves
> 7 oz. ricotta cheese
> 2 eggs
> salt & pepper
> nutmeg
> 2 oz. butter
> 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
> 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
>
> Blend together eggs, ricotta, spinach, spices. Stir in breadcrumbs. Form
> into balls the size of walnuts. Boil in salted water. Strain
> and plate. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with grated
> Parmesan.

A nice recipe, usually found in the Alps region, from northern Italy to
southern Germany, all the way through Switzerland and Austria, and soem
bordering regions as Slovenia.
One thing amuses me: there's no meat in these balls, yet you named them
"meatballs". In italy we have the term "polpette" which can be translated as
meatballs but doesn't hint meat in them, then one can have meat-polpette
(polpette di carne) or spinach polpette (polpette di spinaci). Is there a
similar term in english to specify a meatball-like preparation which hasn't
the word "meat" in it?
BTW, IMHO the correct noun is spinach dumplings, since this recipe is
exactly identical to the one of "gnocchi di spinaci" (spinach dumplings).
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

Giusi wrote:

>> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
>> chat) > gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>> She called them "spinach meatballs"
>> but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.

> That's ravioli gnudi, in other words.

True, also. That could be either gnudi or spinach dumplings.
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

"Giusi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> "jmcquown" ha scritto nel messaggio
>> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
>> chat) > gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
> She called them "spinach meatballs"
>> but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>
> That's ravioli gnudi, in other words.
>

I have no idea what they call them in Italy She lives in Hanover,
Germany, or did the last time I heard from her. Which was years ago.

Jill

"ViLco" <villiber@tin.****> wrote in message
news:3PQ1l.218991$[email protected]..
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
>> chat) gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>>
>> She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
>> nothing was lost in the translation. She called them "spinach
>> meatballs" but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>>
>> 1 lb. cooked spinach leaves
>> 7 oz. ricotta cheese
>> 2 eggs
>> salt & pepper
>> nutmeg
>> 2 oz. butter
>> 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
>> 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
>>
>> Blend together eggs, ricotta, spinach, spices. Stir in breadcrumbs. Form
>> into balls the size of walnuts. Boil in salted water. Strain
>> and plate. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with grated
>> Parmesan.
>
> A nice recipe, usually found in the Alps region, from northern Italy to
> southern Germany, all the way through Switzerland and Austria, and soem
> bordering regions as Slovenia.
> One thing amuses me: there's no meat in these balls, yet you named them
> "meatballs".


It's what she called them, what can I say? I suppose the nearest
translation from German was "meatballs"

Jill

"jmcquown" ha scritto nel messaggio > "Giusi" wrote in message
> >> "jmcquown" ha scritto nel messaggio
It's wonderful.>> She called them "spinach meatballs">>> but essentially
they are boiled like dumplings.
>>
>> That's ravioli gnudi, in other words.
>>
>
> I have no idea what they call them in Italy She lives in Hanover, >
> Germany, or did the last time I heard from her. Which was years ago.
>
> Jill

Well they are very good, but with ricotta and Parmigiano in them, I suspect
it's the Italian recipe translated into German and then into English.
Germans just love Italy and Italians. They are the biggest single tourist
resource we have.
>

ViLco wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
>> chat) gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>>
>> She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
>> nothing was lost in the translation. She called them "spinach
>> meatballs" but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>>
>> 1 lb. cooked spinach leaves
>> 7 oz. ricotta cheese
>> 2 eggs
>> salt & pepper
>> nutmeg
>> 2 oz. butter
>> 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
>> 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
>>
>> Blend together eggs, ricotta, spinach, spices. Stir in breadcrumbs. Form
>> into balls the size of walnuts. Boil in salted water. Strain
>> and plate. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with grated
>> Parmesan.
>
> A nice recipe, usually found in the Alps region, from northern Italy to
> southern Germany, all the way through Switzerland and Austria, and soem
> bordering regions as Slovenia.
> One thing amuses me: there's no meat in these balls, yet you named them
> "meatballs". In italy we have the term "polpette" which can be translated as
> meatballs but doesn't hint meat in them, then one can have meat-polpette
> (polpette di carne) or spinach polpette (polpette di spinaci). Is there a
> similar term in english to specify a meatball-like preparation which hasn't
> the word "meat" in it?
> BTW, IMHO the correct noun is spinach dumplings, since this recipe is
> exactly identical to the one of "gnocchi di spinaci" (spinach dumplings).


Thanks y'all (especially Jill.) DD is going to be home for Christmas in a couple of days,
and she is trying to eat mostly vegetarian. This gives us a new recipe to try.

Doesn't it require a little bit of flour to make them stick together?

What do you serve with this to make a meal, just a tossed salad and a glass of rosé?
Maybe some sliced tomatoes (in season, of course)?

Bob

"jmcquown" wrote:
> "Giusi" wrote
> > "jmcquown" writes:
> >> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
> >> chat) > gave me this recipe. �It's wonderful.
> > She called them "spinach meatballs"
> >> but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>
> > That's ravioli gnudi, in other words.
>
> I have no idea what they call them in Italy �She lives in Hanover,
> Germany, or did the last time I heard from her. �Which was years ago.

Every ethnicity cooks dumplings... the greasy one was merely
demonstrating her usual envy and disingenuousness, as if the dago way
is best... without any suggestions as to why.

That's a very nice recipe, I especially like nutmeg with spinach. I
think a grated rind of jarlesburg would be better than salty overly
strong parmesan... with 1/4 cup parmesan you'd taste nothing else, the
spinach would be lost.. parmesan cheese is over used and is boring.
Actually I don't think any grated cheese is necessary for inclusion...
serve as an accompaniment at table if you must. I'd also go easy on
the salt, riccota is usually salty enough (in that recipe cottage
cheese would work as well) and salt can also be added at table... and
I'd use white pepper, only becaue I think it's nicer in a white
dumpling. If you don't like nutmeg you can substitute mace. Mace is
the outer covering (aril) of nutmeg, I think it's nicer cooked in
recipes, nutmeg is better sprinkled on later. I keep blade mace
specifically for cooking, can't make soup without it.

On Dec 16, 12:14�pm, zxcvbob <zxcv...@charter.net> wrote:
> ViLco wrote:
> > jmcquown wrote:
>
> >> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
> >> chat) gave me this recipe. �It's wonderful.
>
> >> She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
> >> nothing was lost in the translation. �She called them "spinach
> >> meatballs" but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>
> >> 1 lb. cooked spinach leaves
> >> 7 oz. ricotta cheese
> >> 2 eggs
> >> salt & pepper
> >> nutmeg
> >> 2 oz. butter
> >> 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
> >> 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
>
> >> Blend together eggs, ricotta, spinach, spices. �Stir in breadcrumbs. Form
> >> into balls the size of walnuts. �Boil in salted water. �Strain
> >> and plate. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with grated
> >> Parmesan.
>
> > A nice recipe, usually found in the Alps region, from northern Italy to
> > southern Germany, all the way through Switzerland and Austria, and soem
> > bordering regions as Slovenia.
> > One thing amuses me: there's no meat in these balls, yet you named them
> > "meatballs". In italy we have the term "polpette" which can be translated as
> > meatballs but doesn't hint meat in them, then one can have meat-polpette
> > (polpette di carne) or spinach polpette (polpette di spinaci). Is therea
> > similar term in english to specify a meatball-like preparation which hasn't
> > the word "meat" in it?
> > BTW, IMHO the correct noun is spinach dumplings, since this recipe is
> > exactly identical to the one of "gnocchi di spinaci" (spinach dumplings).
>
> Thanks y'all (especially Jill.) �DD is going to be home for Christmas in a couple of days,
> and she is trying to eat mostly vegetarian. �This gives us a new recipe to try.
>
> Doesn't it require a little bit of flour to make them stick together?

Bread crumbs is flour aplenty

> What do you serve with this to make a meal, just a tossed salad and a glass of ros�?
> Maybe some sliced tomatoes (in season, of course)?

Cook them in a vegetarian vegetable soup.

On Dec 16, 8:54*am, "jmcquown" <j_mcqu...@comcast.net> wrote:
> "ViLco" <villi...@tin.****> wrote in message
> It's what she called them, what can I say? *I suppose the nearest
> translation from German was "meatballs"
Perhaps you could call them as I learned from the first family
teaching me to make tamales: Borachos (oo perhaps it's Vorachos?), as
in referring to tamales made with fruits, thereby without any meat in
them being Drunkards.

....Picky

In article <3PQ1l.218991$[email protected]>,
"ViLco" <villiber@tin.****> wrote:

> jmcquown wrote:
>
> > Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
> > chat) gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
> >
> > She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
> > nothing was lost in the translation. She called them "spinach
> > meatballs" but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.

>snip!

> BTW, IMHO the correct noun is spinach dumplings, since this recipe is
> exactly identical to the one of "gnocchi di spinaci" (spinach dumplings).

I have found these in Napa County where there was an immigration from
Northern Italy and Ticino. In Napa they are sold as 'malfatti'. I have
also seen them called 'gnocchi verdi' and 'stro' prete' elsewhere.

D.M.

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:11:32 -0500, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in chat)
>gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>
>She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
>nothing was lost in the translation. She called them "spinach meatballs"
>but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>
>1 lb. cooked spinach leaves
>7 oz. ricotta cheese
>2 eggs
>salt & pepper
>nutmeg
>2 oz. butter
>1 cup dried breadcrumbs
>1/4 c. grated Parmesan
>
>Blend together eggs, ricotta, spinach, spices. Stir in breadcrumbs. Form
>into balls the size of walnuts. Boil in salted water. Strain and plate.
>Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
>
>Jill


Sounds like a version of "gnudi"

Gnudi
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for coating
1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and
yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour. Form mixture in to
small, flattened balls.

Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess.
Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to
overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi
using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for
about 4 minutes.

Arrange gnudi on a platter and lightly drizzle with marinara sauce.

Episode#: EI0802
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Right



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

sf compared gnudi recipes with Jill:

>> Carmen Bartels in Germany (who used to post here and also show up in
>> chat) gave me this recipe. It's wonderful.
>>
>> She was translating this from German while chatting with me, so I hope
>> nothing was lost in the translation. She called them "spinach meatballs"
>> but essentially they are boiled like dumplings.
>>
>> 1 lb. cooked spinach leaves
>> 7 oz. ricotta cheese
>> 2 eggs
>> salt & pepper
>> nutmeg
>> 2 oz. butter
>> 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
>> 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
>>
>> Blend together eggs, ricotta, spinach, spices. Stir in breadcrumbs.
>> Form into balls the size of walnuts. Boil in salted water. Strain and
>> plate. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
>>
>
> Sounds like a version of "gnudi"
>
> Gnudi
> Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
>
> 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
> 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
> 1 cup grated Parmesan
> 2 eggs
> 2 egg yolks
> 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
> 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for coating
> 1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated
>
> Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
>
> In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and
> yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour. Form mixture in to
> small, flattened balls.
>
> Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess.
> Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to
> overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi
> using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for
> about 4 minutes.
>
> Arrange gnudi on a platter and lightly drizzle with marinara sauce.


I've only recently encountered the gnudi concept. The description I first
heard is that gnudi are essentially ravioli without the pasta. It seems to
me that they would be better-flavored if they were cooked some other way,
e.g., if they were deep-fried (oo -- maybe in DUCK FAT!), simmered in some
flavorful broth, or baked with a sauce and maybe cheese.

Is that ever done, and if so, does it make them something other than gnudi?

Bob

Bob Terwilliger <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:

> I've only recently encountered the gnudi concept. The description I first
> heard is that gnudi are essentially ravioli without the pasta. It seems to
> me that they would be better-flavored if they were cooked some other way,
> e.g., if they were deep-fried (oo -- maybe in DUCK FAT!), simmered in some
> flavorful broth, or baked with a sauce and maybe cheese.
>
> Is that ever done, and if so, does it make them something other than gnudi?

The general concept is that of dumplings or rissoles or some kind - and
there is no end to their variety or to the methods of their preparation,
of course.

Ravioli gnudi (i.e. just a filling formed into little dumplings or
rissoles with some kind of binding) is a dish traditional in Florence
and some Tuscan provinces; it is not a pan-Italian dish, though it seems
to have become semi-popular lately. The major ingredients typically
include spinach and ricotta; other major ingredients would be unusual.
As a rule, ravioli gnudi (also called gnocchi gnudi or tortelli gnudi)
are treated like pasta and cooked like most forms of pasta, by boiling
in salted water. However, like some forms of pasta, they can also be
cooked in broth (in brodo) or baked in the oven (al forno) with some
sauce (such as besciamella) and cheese. If you do a search for such
recipes in Italian, you will find some. They do not appear to be really
traditional, though. I do not think ravioli gnudi are ever deep-fried,
and I do not even think that deep-frying is very popular anywhere in
Italy, but I might be mistaken there.

Victor

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:04:11 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
<virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:

>I've only recently encountered the gnudi concept. The description I first
>heard is that gnudi are essentially ravioli without the pasta. It seems to
>me that they would be better-flavored if they were cooked some other way,
>e.g., if they were deep-fried (oo -- maybe in DUCK FAT!), simmered in some
>flavorful broth, or baked with a sauce and maybe cheese.
>
>Is that ever done, and if so, does it make them something other than gnudi?

Fried in *duck* fat? Eeeeew.

I liked the gnudi, but I wasn't "in love" with them. They were OK....
and I thought the sauce added to the taste. Maybe a butter/sage sauce
would have been better. I dunno. Haven't made them again. Now that
hubby is watching his fat intake (not due to weight), I probably won't
try butter & sage.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

"sf" <ha scritto nel messaggio >>I've only recently encountered the gnudi
concept. The description I first >>heard is that gnudi are essentially
ravioli without the pasta. It seems to >>me that they would be
better-flavored if they were cooked some other way,
>>e.g., if they were deep-fried (oo -- maybe in DUCK FAT!), simmered in some
>> >>flavorful broth, or baked with a sauce and maybe cheese.

This is the hammer approach. Tweak the recipe and make it good. Maybe it's
the genuinity of the things we use here, but they are good. It is, however,
very common to bake them in an oiled Pyrex dish instead of boiling them.

> Fried in *duck* fat? Eeeeew.
>
> I liked the gnudi, but I wasn't "in love" with them. They were OK....
> and I thought the sauce added to the taste. Maybe a butter/sage sauce>
> would have been better. I dunno.

It isn't at all important to like them, but here where one serves a first
course at all major meals they're a lighter and quicker response because you
don't have to make the pasta.

All this complaining that they aren't tasty enough to me means that: 1)
complainer is stuck on strong flavors, 2) the recipe was not very good, 3)
the ingredients were not the quality or freshness of the original recipe
writer's experience. Reseasoning the recipe may be necessary if you don't
have access to prime materials. Throwing a bunch of highly seasoned sauce
on top means you just wasted your time making bad gnudi.
I sympathize, because when I cook in the USA I have to run all over even a
big city to get all I want. Freshest sheep'ìs ricotta, goat's ricotta,
today's mozzarella-- those are daydreams over most of the USA, just as
cheddar cheese and corn tortillas are daydreams here.

"Victor Sack" ha scritto nel messaggio

I do not think ravioli gnudi are ever deep-fried,
> and I do not even think that deep-frying is very popular anywhere in>
> Italy, but I might be mistaken there.
>
> Victor

I never heard of deep fried gnudi, but I haven't yet been to Scotland.
Deep frying is a lot more polòpular here than I previously thought. Loads
of the sweets of Carnivale are fried, fritto misto is made of seafood,
vegetables, meats, I've had incredibly good fried chicken that was almost
tempura, and french fries are a constant, even on top of pizza with
mayonnaise. But so far not pasta or gnudi.

On Dec 18, 7:09�am, "Giusi" <decobabe...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "sf" <ha scritto nel messaggio >>I've only recently encountered the gnudi
> concept. The description I first >>heard is that gnudi are essentially
> ravioli without the pasta. It seems to >>me that they would be
> better-flavored if they were cooked some other way,
>
> >>e.g., if they were deep-fried (oo -- maybe in DUCK FAT!), simmered in some
> >> >>flavorful broth, or baked with a sauce and maybe cheese.
>
> This is the hammer approach. �Tweak the recipe and make it good. �Maybe it's
> the genuinity of the things we use here, but they are good. �It is, however,
> very common to bake them in an oiled Pyrex dish instead of boiling them.
>
> > Fried in *duck* fat? �Eeeeew.
>
> > I liked the gnudi, but I wasn't "in love" with them. �They wereOK....
> > and I thought the sauce added to the taste. �Maybe a butter/sage sauce>
> > would have been better. �I dunno.
>
> It isn't at all important to like them, but here where one serves a first
> course at all major meals they're a lighter and quicker response because you
> don't have to make the pasta.
>
> All this complaining that they aren't tasty enough to me means that: 1)
> complainer is stuck on strong flavors, 2) the recipe was not very good, 3)
> the ingredients were not the quality or freshness of the original recipe
> writer's experience. �Reseasoning the recipe may be necessary if you don't
> have access to prime materials.

More likely it's that the concept of dumplings made of bread crumbs,
cheese, and spinach is a dull and boring concept... gnudi -
gschmudi... them's boiled bubkas!