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This is a combination of two different recipes. One comes from the Babe Country Cookbook (based on the movie "Babe", it's a vegetarian cookbook), and also based on this recipe and some of the comments: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/spinach-and-ricotta-dumplings-recipe-1973801
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 red bell pepper
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon onion powder (you can also use one whole onion, diced)
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika (optional)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup creme fraiche (If you don't have any creme fraiche, you could probably do a combo of sour cream and heavy cream.)
salt and pepper to taste
For the dumplings:
1 12-ounce package frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for coating)
6 tablespoons Progresso plain breadcrumbs (plus extra for coating)
2 large eggs
dash of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Serve over cooked egg noodles (my favorite option), pasta of your choice, or rice
Make the sauce:
Move top oven rack to the uppermost position. Place whole bell pepper on a cookie sheet. Roast the bell pepper in the oven under the broiler on low (if your oven offers low & high options for broiling). Turn the pepper every few minutes so it gets charred on all sides, cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Place the pepper in a heat-proof container and cover tightly with foil or a lid. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin, stem, core, and seeds. Chop coarsely.
In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until softened (or just use onion powder). Add the roasted red bell pepper and paprika, saute for another five minutes. Add the white wine, simmer for five minutes. Stir in the creme fraiche, simmer for five more minutes, stirring frequently. Take off heat and allow to cool a bit, then puree in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour back into a saucepan to keep warm.
Make the dumplings:
Defrost the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You can do this with cheesecloth, press the spinach in a strainer over a bowl, or gather the spinach into a ball and press it between your two hands (my method).
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I also added some granulated onion and garlic. (I should have added more salt.)
Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours or overnight.
Spread some breadcrumbs mixed with grated parmesan and salt on a plate. Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the spinach-ricotta mixture and roll into about 24 balls. Gently roll the balls in the breadcrumb mixture.
At this point you can either boil the dumplings in a large pot of simmering salted water for about five minutes, or bake them in the oven. I tried baking them for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees in a pan lined with parchment paper, and they turned out wonderfully. Also, I didn't have to stand over a pot of boiling water and worry about them falling apart. (Note to self: put a cookie sheet under the baking pan, as the bottoms of the dumplings were a bit over-brown.)
Put some egg noodles, rice, or pasta on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Place five or six dumplings on top. Drizzle with the red pepper sauce and enjoy! (The sauce is more rich and flavorful than a traditional pasta sauce like marinara, so you probably won't want to use very much.)
KEEWERD
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 red bell pepper
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon onion powder (you can also use one whole onion, diced)
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika (optional)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup creme fraiche (If you don't have any creme fraiche, you could probably do a combo of sour cream and heavy cream.)
salt and pepper to taste
For the dumplings:
1 12-ounce package frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for coating)
6 tablespoons Progresso plain breadcrumbs (plus extra for coating)
2 large eggs
dash of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Serve over cooked egg noodles (my favorite option), pasta of your choice, or rice
Make the sauce:
Move top oven rack to the uppermost position. Place whole bell pepper on a cookie sheet. Roast the bell pepper in the oven under the broiler on low (if your oven offers low & high options for broiling). Turn the pepper every few minutes so it gets charred on all sides, cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Place the pepper in a heat-proof container and cover tightly with foil or a lid. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin, stem, core, and seeds. Chop coarsely.
In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until softened (or just use onion powder). Add the roasted red bell pepper and paprika, saute for another five minutes. Add the white wine, simmer for five minutes. Stir in the creme fraiche, simmer for five more minutes, stirring frequently. Take off heat and allow to cool a bit, then puree in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour back into a saucepan to keep warm.
Make the dumplings:
Defrost the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You can do this with cheesecloth, press the spinach in a strainer over a bowl, or gather the spinach into a ball and press it between your two hands (my method).
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I also added some granulated onion and garlic. (I should have added more salt.)
Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours or overnight.
Spread some breadcrumbs mixed with grated parmesan and salt on a plate. Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the spinach-ricotta mixture and roll into about 24 balls. Gently roll the balls in the breadcrumb mixture.
At this point you can either boil the dumplings in a large pot of simmering salted water for about five minutes, or bake them in the oven. I tried baking them for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees in a pan lined with parchment paper, and they turned out wonderfully. Also, I didn't have to stand over a pot of boiling water and worry about them falling apart. (Note to self: put a cookie sheet under the baking pan, as the bottoms of the dumplings were a bit over-brown.)
Put some egg noodles, rice, or pasta on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Place five or six dumplings on top. Drizzle with the red pepper sauce and enjoy! (The sauce is more rich and flavorful than a traditional pasta sauce like marinara, so you probably won't want to use very much.)
KEEWERD
