Simple Ricotta Gnocchi

Here’s an excellent Italian staple with a new twist. This is a very simple and delicious way to make gnocchi. Serve this with your favorite pasta sauce, garlic bread and white wine for a truly authentic Italian dinner.

Ingredients

1 1/8 lb of all-purpose flour

1 lb of fresh ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

First, mix your flour, eggs and ricotta in a large mixing bowl. Use a stand mixer or even your hands until they just start to come together. Don’t over-mix it. The dough should be loose but not falling apart. Knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes, then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to properly set up.

After the dough has rested, cut off sections of it and roll them into 1-inch thick sized ropes. Cut the rope into about 1 inch pieces and set them aside until completed.

The next step is probably the most complicated and takes a little experience to do right…although it’s more of an ascetic issue than anything else. Place the pieces on their end. Now take a fork and push down on the top of the gnocchi until it forms a small oval or ball. The ridges on the gnocchi are to help it hang onto the sauce your cook it with. Repeat this step for the rest of the gnocchi dough. If you made too much dough it can be stored in the fridge for about a day, but after that will need to be frozen in order to keep.

Next, boil some water and add a lot of salt to it. When the water tastes like the ocean then you’ve added enough, Makes sure to use enough water that the gnocchi aren’t packed too close together. Cook the dumplings until they begin to rise to the top. Remove the pieces and put them into a cold water bath. This will stop the cooking process and prevents them from becoming overcooked and mushy when you sauté them.

Finally Heat a sauté pan with some butter or olive oil and sauté the gnocchi until browned. Then you can add various aromatics like garlic, onion, shallots or scallions. Quickly toss the dumplings in your favorite pasta sauce and serve them with a little grated parmesan cheese and white wine for a truly authentic Italian meal.