Here goes:
Spinah and ricota gnocchi bake
For the sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
1/2 fennel head, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
700g tomato passata
salt and pepper
For the bake
400g rainbow chard, leaves removed from stems and washed
400g tbsp parmesan, grated plus extra for the top
4 tbsp plain flour
3 eggs
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180C. For the sauce, heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan on a high heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Add the passata, season, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the head and reserve for later. For the bake bring a large pot of water with a good pinch of salt to the boil, blanch the chard leaves for five minutes then drain. When cool, chop them finely. In a medium-sized bow, mix the ricotta, parmesan, flour, eggs and nutmeg then season well. Mix the chipped chard with the ricotta mix, then pour into a piping bag without a nozzle. Spread half the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 30x20 centimetre baking tray. Pip 4 to 5 centimetre round balls in rows on top of the sauce until all the ricotta mix is used (don't worry if it looks a bit rustic, it will taste great). Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the balls, making sure they all get some sauce; it will not totally cover everything. Grate a light show of parmesan over the dish then bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinle with parsley and serve immediately. Serves 4.
My suggestion - add some pitted black olives and cappers to give it more flavour and if you decide to not include the salt.
