Even beginners can show off their Italian ricotta gnocchi with this recipe.
This recipe really calls for fresh ricotta, but drained, if your ricotta is too wet it absolutely ruins the dish, but for the faint of heart it’s worth the effort. The only thing you need to know is that the gnocchi gets very sticky when it sits there, so prepare, cool and cook it in one step. Homemade ricotta tastes like fresh milk, so if you can find it, get fresh organic milk, it will pay off in the final recipe.
Homemade ricotta recipe.
Ingredients
4 pints of good quality whole milk
4 pints of good quality buttermilk
method
Line a wide strainer with a large piece of cheesecake, then fold the material over on itself until there are at least six layers. Place both milks in a heavy-based stainless steel saucepan. Stir the milk as you heat it, but stop once the milk is hot, at this point you should be able to see the curds rising to the top. When the mixture reaches 175 degrees F, the curds and whey separate. The curd is a white strand of lumpy bits, once they have formed, place them in the strainer that has been placed in the bottom of the sink. Lift up the sides of the cheesecloth to make it easier for the milk to drain, but do not press down on the freshly coagulated ricotta. Tie up the cloth and leave to drain overnight in the fridge over a bowl.
Fresh ricotta gnocchi
Ingredients
for the gnocchi
1 pound fresh ricotta
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 fresh sage leaves,
or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg,
or 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
½ ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano,
kosher salt
flour to shape the gnocchi
For the gnocchi sauce
8 tablespoons butter, sliced
4-5 chopped fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons of water
method
To make perfect gnocchi the ricotta has to be soft, it’s usually best to work it with a plastic spatula into a bowl, the flexibility of the plastic breaks up any lumps in the ricotta. While working the ricotta if the curds or lumps are still visible then push it all into a blender and blend for a minute.
Add the lightly beaten eggs to the ricotta puree. Melt the tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add the chopped sage leaves, then add to the ricotta. Golden flavor with your alternative choices. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt and mix everything very well. The success of the final gnocchi recipe depends on everything being light and soft.
form the gnocchi
Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it on low heat. Put a half inch of flour on your work surface and place 2 teaspoons of the ricotta on top of the flour.
Roll it around in the flour to coat with your fingertips – all Italians are very handy with food! Gently lift the gnocchi making sure not to break it and very carefully drop one piece into the boiling water. This is a test to make sure the gnocchi will hold its shape. It should fall to the bottom of the pan and over the next three minutes or so rise as it cooks.
If the mixture is crumbly still too wet, try adding a teaspoon of beaten egg white to the dough to help it hold its shape. If it’s heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to lighten it, the gnocchi should be light, fluffy and airy, there shouldn’t be too many soft pillows. Try a second gnocchi and then you’re ready to roll.
From now on, you can put a few gnocchi at a time in the flour, but don’t pile them too high because there is a danger that you will overwork them and make them dense and unappealing. Put them on a tray with parchment paper and chill for an hour, which will firm them up and make them cook better.
To cook them use a very large and wide saucepan and quickly boil at least four pints of water, what you don’t do is make the gnocchi too full, add salt to the water. Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one and cook for three to five minutes. once they are all in the pan we begin to prepare the sauce.
Melt the butter by swirling around in a skillet over low heat and add sage leaves and fry for a minute, add the water, pour the drained cooked gnocchi into the butter sauce. Cover with the sauce and serve immediately.