Veal Ragu With Potato Gnocchi Recipes

Steps:

• Make the gnocchi: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 2 cups salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Place potatoes on top of salt, and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly, then peel. Press potatoes through a ricer onto a clean baking sheet, and spread loosely. Let cool.
• Turn potatoes onto a surface, shape into a mound, and form a well in the center. Pour egg into well, add remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and mix with a fork. Add flour gradually, kneading by hand until just combined.
• On a lightly floured work surface, divide dough into 10 pieces. Roll each into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut ropes into 1/2-inch pieces. Press each piece to make a depression in the center, or press gently against tines of a fork. Arrange on a lightly floured baking sheet in a single layer. Cover with plastic, and freeze for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 months).
• Make the ragu: Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season veal generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, and cook for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery, and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in wine, bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute.
• Add browned veal, tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until veal is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Using a slotted spoon, transfer veal to a dish, reserving liquid. Skim fat from liquid. Discard bay leaf and thyme. Remove meat from bones, shredding into bite-size pieces. Return to pot. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook a few gnocchi at a time, stirring gently. Cook just until they float, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to a colander to drain. Divide gnocchi among bowls, toss with ragu, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Steps:

• Prepare the gnocchi according to the recipe. Keep the gnocchi covered and refrigerated until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the lamb, onion, bay leaves, garlic, and rosemary in a roasting pan (see Cook¿s Note for clay roasting alternative). Drizzle the lamb mixture with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Roast the lamb turning it after about 20 minutes. Cook until the meat begins to brown, about 40 minutes. Add the wine and stock, stir to coat, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Braise until the lamb is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, peel and trim the eggplant then cut it into ¼-inch cubes. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant, turning it frequently, until golden. Remove the eggplant from the skillet using a slotted spoon. Allow the eggplant to drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
• Add the eggplant and the gnocchi to the lamb stew. Top the stew with both the grated and broken pieces of Pecorino Romano cheese. Return the pot to the oven and cook until the liquid has reduced and is thickened by the melted cheese, about 15 minutes more.
• Remove the lamb from the oven and allow the stew to rest for 10 minutes. Spoon lamb with gnocchi, eggplant and sauce into warm bowls and serve.
• Place the potatoes in a medium size saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and enough water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce the temperature and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool just enough to handle. Peel, then mash or rice them.
• Place the flour and the salt in a mixing bowl. Add the warm smoothly mashed potatoes. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients together. Drizzle the potato dough with olive oil and 1/4-cup of water. Mix well, incorporating all of the ingredients and forming a smooth ball. Set the dough aside for 10 minutes to relax.
• Working on a floured surface, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each portion of dough into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut each rope into 1/4-inch pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a small ball. Roll the dough balls over the tines of a fork then set them aside on a lightly floured baking sheet.
• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat so that the water is at a simmer. Working in batches, add gnocchi to the pot (shaking off any excess flour). Stir gently and cook the gnocchi until they float then remove them with a slotted spoon. They can be dressed and served at this point or chilled in an ice bath, drained then dressed with a little olive oil if they are to be held for several hours. Once cooked gnocchi can be stored in the refrigerator but should be eaten the same day they are made.

Steps:

• Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and veal and brown for 2 or 3 minutes. Add carrot, onion, garlic and bay, season with salt and pepper, then cook mixture 4 or 5 minutes more, stirring frequently, to soften veggies and combine flavors. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine, scraping up all the good bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the alcohol out of the wine, 1 or 2 minutes. Add broth to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low. Stir in tomatoes and bring sauce to a bubble. Simmer sauce until ready to serve. Add torn basil and wilt the leaves into the hot sauce. Remove bay leaf from the sauce. Toss hot cooked pasta with 1/2 cup, a couple of handfuls, grated cheese. Combine hot pasta and cheese with the veal ragu in a large serving bowl or platter. Serve with extra cheese for topping. Garnish platter with additional basil tops.