Tomato Broth with Portobellos and Spinach over Gnocchi

If you are new here, welcome! I publish a recipe every Sunday to give myself a day off and to share my interest in food and cooking!

This article appears in the Make It From Scratch carnival at The Daily Dish. If you came from the carnival, thanks for stopping by! I hope you will consider subscribing via RSS feed or e-mail.

This week's Sunday recipe feature is a delicious soup. You can use homemade gnocchi (recipe follows), storebought gnocchi or, as in the picture, tortellini. The perfect thing for a cold winter day!



1 large white onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for sautéing
2 sprigs thyme
4 large tomatoes, chopped (or a 1lb can of diced tomatoes)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pint tomato juice
1⁄4 stick butter (2 tablespoons)
3 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
canola oil for sautéing
prepared gnocchi, cooked, enough for 4
1 pound baby spinach leaves, cleaned
3 ounces shaved or grated Parmesan Reggiano

In a large sauce pot over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes, then add tomato juice. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes. Purée in a food processor or blender and pass through a fine strainer. Return to pot and bring to a boil again. Lower heat to a simmer and whisk in butter. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Slice portobellos thinly and sauté in a large skillet or sauté pan with a small amount of canola oil over medium heat. Add gnocchi to pan and brown. Then add spinach and sauté briefly. Taste for seasoning.

To serve, place gnocchi, mushrooms, and spinach in individual large bowls and ladle or pour broth in gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4

Never made gnocchi? Give it a try. This is Lidia Bastianich's recipe -

3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed

Boil potatoes in their skins. Drain and allow to stand until cool enough to handle. Scrape skin from potato with paring knife. Press them through a potato ricer. Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface and allow to cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. gather cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour egg mixture into the potato well. Knead the potato and egg mixture together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require, and the heavier it will become. As you knead, repeatedly rub dough from hands and scrape it from the work surface back into the dough.

On a flour-dusted surface, dust dough and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Form dough into a rope. Slice rope into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Sprinkle rounds with flour and roll them into balls. Hold the tines of a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tip of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough. At this point, gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen.

To cook gnocchi, drop into salted boiling water. Cook, stirring gently until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface of the pot.