I always come to a perusing screeching halt when I see gnocchi listed on a menu. What’s not to love about these fluffy little pillows of potato usually floating under some wonderful blanket of sauce? Well, except that I always seem to forget how not light they are sitting in my stomach after I’ve polished off a plate of them.
That’s why when I ran across a blog post for homemade ricotta gnocchi, I shared it on the Bistro OneSix’s Facebook page as a easy bookmark and reminder that this was on my to-make list. Plus it gave me an excuse to check off something else I’ve been meaning to do for a long time – make my own ricotta. So when some foodie friends recently had a baby, and I was looking for something interesting to take to them that didn’t even come close to resembling a casserole, this recipe came to mind.
- 2 cups good quality ricotta cheese (homemade if you’re really feeling ambitious)
- 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.
- While the water is heating up, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, flour and salt in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. I had to add a little water in here too as my homemade ricotta was drier than what you get commercially.
- Lightly flour your hands and roll out the dough into thin sausages about ¼″ thick. Be careful not to add too much flour on your hands or the surface of the counter as this will make the gnocchi tough.
- Cut gnocchi with a sharp knife into pieces about ¾˝ long.
- Drop into boiling water and cook for a minute, or until they float to the surface.
- Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place in serving bowls.
- Top with sauce of your choice (shown here with some of my homemade marinara).