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Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe | How to make Ricotta Gnocchi

2012-11-15
  • Servings : 2-3
  • Prep Time : 7m
  • Cook Time : 8m
  • Ready In : 20m

These  little gnocchi are  are traditionally made in the village of Minori in Italy on the feast day of St Trofimena, the town’s patron saint. This fabulous recipe is easily created at home.

It is so ridiculously simple to make, that I imagine the onlooking Italians must be having a good laugh, when they see us buying them off the supermarket shelves.

I have adapted this from a recipe by by Gennaro Contaldo, better known in Britain as Jamie Oliver’s culinary guru.

 

Ingredients

  • FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
  • Flour- 200 gm plus extra for dusting
  • Ricotta cheese- 225 gms
  • Egg yolks- 3
  • Parmesan cheese- 30 gm , freshly grated is best
  • Nutmeg- 1 pinch, freshly grated
  • Black pepper- freshly ground- to taste
  • Salt- to taste
  • FOR THE SAUCE:
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Garlic cloves- 3 peeled and sliced
  • Chilli- 1 sliced
  • Plum tomatoes- 1 tin or 1 cup tomatoes. blanched and chopped
  • Basil leaves- a few
  • Green pesto-1 tbsp optional
Method

 

Mix the flour, ricotta, egg yolks, parmesan, nutmeg and seasoning together in a large bowl to form a soft, moist dough.

 Tip the mixture out onto a floured work surface and knead for another 3-5 minutes.

Roll the dough into a long, thin sausage shape. This flour makes 2 rolls. With a sharp knife, cut it into pieces a little less than 1 inch long.

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Now for those trademark ridges on the gnocchi that make it so yum.

I used the gnocchi paddle a cool gadget that you can use for adding the ridges to make your own gnocchi at home. You take small pinches of the potato and flour dough and press against the paddle with your thumb and then just twirl it over with the help of the peel. If you cant quite master it, then just roll the bits of dough across the peel to get the trademark ridges on the gnocchi- but trust me, use this peel and you’ll master it in no time.20141116-P1100717

The gnocchi almost double in size when cooked, so it is a good idea to cut on the smaller side.

 

Cook the dumplings for 3-4 minutes in a large saucepan of salted boiling water.

Notice how they quickly rise to the surface as they cook.

 

Meanwhile, for the sauce, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic and chilli for one minute.  The original recipe calls for 6 tbsp of oil, but that sounded way too much for me, so I’ve used less, but by all means ye olive oil lovers, go ahead and use it all.

Now  add the tomatoes, add salt as required. Add the pesto now, if you want to. I love it.

Return the pan to the heat, bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes to let the gnocchi absorb all the glorious garlicky flavours.

Remove the gnocchi from the pan with a slotted spoon and add them to the tomato sauce.

Serve with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan and some torn basil leaves.

 

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