Ricotta Gnocchi

Jade and I are at it again! This time it was gnocchi that we were going to tackle. The first time I ever had gnocchi was in Croatia. My beautiful sister-in-law is Croatian and she and my brother had their wedding in Germany and then we hopped a plane to Croatia to see where her family is from. We went to eat at a local restaurant and I ordered the gnocchi. It was like eating little pillows of yumminess. Since then, if gnocchi is on the menu, you better believe I'm ordering it. However, none have compared to the dish I had in Croatia.

Gnocchi is a traditional Italian potato dumpling, and it can take a lot of work and effort to make correctly. Since it was my first time making it, I went the easy route and made Ricotta Gnocchi instead of the traditional way using potatoes. This is a very good recipe if you want to try it out and are short on time.

Be sure to check out Jade's blog, The Mess Pot, to see her gnocchi experience!


Ricotta Gnocchi (serves 2)
Source: The Noshery

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup flour, have extra for dusting
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 – 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Drain any excess liquid from the ricotta cheese. Combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan, yolk and salt in a large bowl. Mix well using a wooden or plastic spoon. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Do not over work. The dough will be very sticky.

Put a pot of water to boil. Flour you work area generously with flour and your hands. Divide the dough in half and roll out to till it is about as thick as a finger. Take sharp knife, dip in flour and cut the the rolls into about 1 inch pillows. Transfer pillows to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, work quickly so that the gnocchi on the baking sheet doesn't get sticky.

You water should have come to a slow boil by now, add a generous pinch of salt to the water. Drop your gnocchi into the water and stir to keep them from sticking to the bottom. The gnocchi will float to the top when done, about 2 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer remove from water and serve immediately with your choice of sauce*.

*Make sauce ahead of time so it is ready to serve when gnocchi is ready.

Sausage and Tomato-Basil Sauce

1 tsp olive oil
2 links Hot Italian Sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
16 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 cup pesto

In a medium-size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the sausage and cook until browned. Stir in the garlic and saute for a few minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and red pepper flakes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the pesto and simmer on low until gnocchi are ready. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

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