Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi with Fava Beans, Tomatoes, and Guanciale

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Blanch the shelled fava beans to loosen their skin by boiling them for a minute and then plunging them in cool water.  Drain and slip off their skin by cutting the skin with your thumbnail and then popping the bean out of its skin with a pinch.  (If it’s early in the season, and the favas are very small, you can skip the skinning step.)  You should have about 2/3 cup of beans.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

In a large sauté pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and just beginning to crisp.  With a slotted spoon, remove the guanciale from the pan.

Add enough olive oil so there is 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan and heat it over medium to medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until tender.  Add the tomatoes and cook until they release most of their liquid.  Add the guanciale, cook another minute, and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, drop the frozen gnocchi into the boiling water and cook, adjusting the heat so that the water is a gentle boil (not a rollicking one), just until the gnocchi no longer taste of raw flour.  This usually takes a couple of minutes from the time the gnocchi have begun to float.

Reserve ½ cup of the gnocchi cooking water.  Return the sauté pan to a medium-high heat.  Add the blanched fava beans to the sauté pan and, using a slotted spoon or Chinese skimmer, gently transfer the gnocchi to the sauté pan.  Don’t worry if some of the cooking water joins the sauce.  In fact, you can add up to ¼ cup of the gnocchi cooking liquid to the pan to help loosen the sauce.  Gently toss all of the ingredients in the pan together, adding additional cooking liquid if the gnocchi look dry, until heated through.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cheese over the gnocchi and divide it among four hot plates or shallow bowls.  Serve with additional grated cheese, if you like.