Ricotta Gnocchi.
It’s Spring! This is an easy pasta to make at home. It’s not intimidating, doesn’t take a long time and it’s better than anything you will find in the store. This isn’t heavy potato gnocchi, these are much lighter and ready to soak up some spring flavors. One way to use some milk and cream is to make your own ricotta for this recipe. Or just buy some ricotta! All good either way. Also, butter is abundant and cheap, why not get outside and go ramp hunting and make a big batch of ramp butter.
For the Sauce:
These ricotta pillows are very light and they are great with a lot of simple sauces. Tomato sauce with just some toasted garlic and olive oil. Butter, white wine and squeeze of lemon. Chicken stock and butter or olive oil finished with some more grated cheese. A pesto that has been loosened with a little water and olive oil, some buttery peas or braised kale would be nice in the mix. A good spring time version is to thinly slice asparagus and gently warm it some butter with a little water and some finely chopped ramps then toss the gnocchi after it’s poached and a squeeze of lemon. Or finish the sauce with a touch of cream and a little more parmesan. If you have some canned artichokes in the cupboard slice those up add them to some buttery peas and you are good to go.
For the gnocchi::
16 oz Ricotta Cheese. 453g
1/2 cup grated parmesan 50g (I like half parm half pecorino)
1 1/2 cup AP flour (tip00 if you have it) 200g
1 egg
2 yolks
1 T kosher salt
Black Pepper
A small handful of soft herbs like(if you have some not omit):: Chopped mint, chives, or parsley or some combination.
In a bowl add all the ingredients.
Gently mix everything together with a rubber spatula and softly knead into a ball. Don’t over work it, mix it just until everything comes together. And turn onto a clean floured table or cutting board.
Divide the dough into 4 with a bench scraper.
Dusting liberally with flour roll the pieces into logs with your hands.
They should be roughly the diameter of hotdogs.
Using the bench scraper cut the logs into 1/2 - 3/4 inch pieces, dusting liberally with flour so the don’t stick together or to the table.
Place the gnocchi on a sheet tray and freeze.
After they are frozen you can put them in ziplock bags and store in the freezer until you want to use them. If you are up to it make a double batch to keep some in the freezer.
Place into salted boiling water until they start to float and carefully strain/ life out with a slotted spoon/strainer/spider and into your sauce waiting warm in a sauce pan.
