Ok guys, I’ve been wanting to make gnocchi for a while now but for some reason I felt so intimidated by the thought of it, then I stumbled upon this ricotta gnocchi and wanted to give it a shot! When my kids nap, (or should I say, have down time) I usually try to prep dinner so it’s pretty quick and easy to get it on the table, any one else? 😁I was surprised how quick it was and pretty easy too, I think it took me 30 minutes to prep and make the gnocchi, not bad!
I think this is also something my kids would love to help with too, they’re great at making those play-doh snakes!😉 seriously, that’s pretty much what you’re going for near the end, long ropes or snakes, as my kids would call it. With all the ingredients on hand, I’m so happy I gave it a shot, as it turned out easier than I expected. I hope you try it as well!
I can’t take credit for the gnocchi, that my friend came from the amazing chef, Kenji Lopez-Alt! If you haven’t checked him out, you’ll thank me later after you do. I love his cookbook The Food Lab! Okay, here’s the recipe!
Ricotta Gnocchi
Course: Pasta3-4
servings20
minutes20
minutesRecipe from Kenj Loppez-Alt.
Ingredients
- Ricotta Gnocchi
8 ounces of good quality ricotta cheese
1 ounce of finely grated parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup
4-6 ounces of all-purpose flour, about 1 cup
1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk
kosher salt and ground black pepper
semolina flour, for dusting
- Asparagus prosciutto cream sauce.
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 ounces of prossciutto, bacon or ham thinly sliced.
1/4 cup of green onions, thinly sliced white and pale green parts.
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound of aspargus, cut on bias into 1 1/2 inch peices
1 cup of heavy cream
2 ounces grated parmigiano
kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of lemon zest, grated plus juice from 1 lemon, divided.
2 tablespoon of chives, minced.
Directions
- Line a large plate with three layers of paper towels or a clean dish towel. Transfer ricotta directly to paper towels and spread with a rubber spatula. Place another triple layer of paper towels or a clean dish towel on top and press down firmly with the palms of your hands to blot excess moisture. Peel off upper paper towels.
- Place a large bowl on a scale and zero the scale. Scrape ricotta into bowl to weigh. Remove excess ricotta to leave exactly 8 ounces. Reserve excess ricotta for another use. Add Parmesan, 3 1/2 ounces of flour, whole egg, and egg yolk to bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Combine mixture with a rubber spatula. It should be sticky but not loose. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it is still very moist after kneading with the spatula for 1 minute.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and dust the top with flour. Flatten into a 4- to 6-inch disk and cut into quarters using a bench scraper. Working one piece at a time, roll dough into a log about 6 inches long, dusting with flour as necessary. Split log in half and roll each half into a log about 12 inches long and 3/4-inch wide. You should end up with 8 logs.
- Using your bench scraper, cut each log into 8 to 10 gnocchi. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted in semolina flour. Shake to lightly coat gnocchi and prevent sticking. At this point, gnocchi can be frozen if not using now.. Transfer baking sheet to freezer until gnocchi are completely frozen, about 30 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to a zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Cook directly from frozen, adding a few minutes to cooking time.
- Set a large pot of salted water over high heat. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet or slope-sided saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring, until mostly crisp, about 2 minutes. Add scallions and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add asparagus and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until asparagus is just starting to turn tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and half of Parmesan. Cook, stirring, until cream thickens and coats the asparagus pieces, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add gnocchi to now-boiling pot of water, stir gently, and cook until gnocchi float for 30 seconds, about 3 minutes total. Drain gnocchi, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water. Add gnocchi, lemon juice, half of lemon zest, chives, and 2 tablespoons of cooking water to saucepan with sauce and bring to a hard boil, stirring gently. Add more pasta water to thin sauce to desired consistency. Serve immediately, topped with lemon zest and additional Parmesan cheese.
