Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi

This little guy,


Has thrown in quite a curve ball into our daily lives. Honestly, I love it, even though it means that I need to get up earlier, and leave work on time to let him outside. Gorgi is really a handsome little fellow, is a ball of energy, and as a result, he needs to go outside for long runs- this is encouragement for me to get outside and exercise, but it certainly adds to the already short evenings. As a result, dinners have had to change into quicker prep meals that are still tasty and nutritious.



I stumbled upon Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi in my beloved Mark Bittman cookbook. The process was much shorter than typical gnocchi recipes because potatoes are not involved whatsoever. This drastically reduces the time needed to prep, and adds a tasty element to the standard gnocchi dumpling. I was skeptical at first because I had never even heard of a Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi, but I must say, I am glad I tried it out.



To make the dough, you essentially mix together ricotta cheese eggs, flour, and S&P. The dough comes together in about 3 minutes, and does not even have to be rolled out into a rope and cut! The method for making the actual dumplings is to take spoonfuls and drop into boiling water. Meanwhile, you brown some butter in a pan, throw in a few sage leaves, and cook until gnocchi is done. At this point, you put the gnocchi into the brown butter sauce, toss and serve. Homemade Gnocchi with brown buttered sage sauce was on the table in 30 minutes. Amazing and divine! This recipe is definitely a repeater, and one that is sure to impress.




Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with Browned Butter Sauce
adapted from "How to Cook Everything"

Salt
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1 cup flour- I used about 1.25 cups
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 or more sage leaves.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Combine the ricotta, eggs and Parmesan in a large bowl, along with some salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup flour and stir; add more flour until the mixture forms a very sticky dough. Scoop up a spoonful of dough and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape; if it does not, stir in a bit more flour.

2. Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts and turns a nutty brown color, add the sage. While it fries, drop the ricotta mixture by the rounded tablespoon into the boiling water, working in batches of six or so at a time so as not to overload the pot.

3. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet. When all the gnocchi are done, toss, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately.