Chicche della nonna with tomato sauce

To prepare the tomato sauce, start by cleaning and chopping the onion, shallot and carrot. Fry them gently with extra-virgin olive oil and then add the tomato, basil and a knob of butter. Adjust the seasoning and if necessary add water.

Wash the potatoes and cook them with the peel on in salted water. Peel the potatoes and put them through a potato ricer. Boil and chop the spinach. Put a little flour on a work surface then pour over it the mashed potatoes, spinach, ricotta, egg, Parmigiano Reggiano and a pinch of salt. Mix together and add flour as needed.

Take a piece of the dough and roll out it into a thin, long cylinder. Cut out small gnocchi with a knife and place them on a floured surface, leaving some space between them. Do the same with the rest of the dough.

Once the sauce is ready, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Drop the chicche in and as soon as they rise to the surface lift them out with a skimmer. Toss them in the sauce and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano.