Ricotta Gnocchi

Gnocchi are awesome, but the idea of destroying my kitchen to make the traditional version with potato has never been appealing. I grew up on horror stories from my father about how flour and potato got everywhere when he made them. We’re talking flour in every crevice available and the unenviable task of trying to sweep it and mop it without turning it into paste, as flour is wont to do when you add water.

So this recipe immediately caught my eye when I noticed the ingredients – ricotta in place of potato, a bit of parmesan, and egg. Sounded pretty simple! I still ended up destroying part of my kitchen when it came time to roll out the dough into ropes to cut into the individual gnocchi, but it was a much smaller area than I’d feared. These are easy enough to make on a weekday night if you’d like (though I didn’t want to chance it and made them on a Sunday and froze the extra). Enjoy!

Ricotta Gnocchi

From Food52 

These freeze fantastically well – I made a full batch and have slowly been working my way through the giant bag I have stuffed in my freezer. They don’t travel and reheat fantastically well, so your best bet is to cook and serve immediately (they get kind of rubbery if you microwave them).

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta (I bought a 15 oz container and it worked fine)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

nutmeg to taste

2 cups flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling dough

Optional:

2 cups fresh spinach, cooked in olive oil until wilted

Tomato Sauce

Equipment

Large bowl, large pot, space to knead dough

Add egg, ricotta, and oil together and mix well. Add parmesan and nutmeg. Add the flour a quarter cup at a time and continue to mix thoroughly until dough comes together.

Dump onto floured surface and work dough with hands to bring together into a smooth ball. Add more flour as necessary until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands. Cut off slices of the dough like cutting a loaf of bread and roll into ropes about the size of your thumb. Just like you used to with playdough – start in the center and using your hands and fingers, roll out from the center to the edge of each rope.

Line one rope parallel to another and cut slices of both ropes about an inch-wide. Roll each piece off the pack of a fork to make imprints (key to holding sauce!).  Transfer pieces to a lightly floured or non-stick baking sheet so they don’t stick together and put into freezer while making the rest. If you don’t plan on cooking all the gnocchi tonight, let them freeze entirely on the baking sheet before storing in an airtight back (prevents them from sticking together).

How to eat: 2 ways

When ready to eat, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the gnocchi and stir with a wooden spoon gently to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once they’ve risen to the top, they’re ready. Scoop out with a strainer or slotted spoon and shake off excess water gently. Add sauce immediately after placing in bowl.

Or, if you liked the look of the photos you can do what I did. Take the frozen gnocchi and place in a small pan that has melted a half -tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Brown each side and serve over spinach.

Serves 4-6