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 gnocchi get very sticky when they sit, so prep, chill, and cook in one step. Homemade ricotta tastes like fresh milk, so if you can find it, get fresh organic milk, it will be worth it 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. Curd is a white strand of lumpy pieces, once they have formed place them in the strainer that has been placed at 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 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 leaves of fresh sage,
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 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons of water
method
To make perfect gnocchi, the ricotta has to be soft, it is generally best to work it with a plastic spatula in a bowl, the flexibility of the plastic breaks up the lumps in the ricotta. While you work the ricotta if any 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 pan and add the chopped sage leaves, and then add to the ricotta. Golden taste with your alternative choices. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt and beat everything very well. The success of the final gnocchi recipe depends on everything being light and smooth.
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 a low heat. Put half an inch of flour on your work surface and place 2 teaspoons of ricotta on top of the flour.
Roll it around the flour to cover it with your fingertips, all Italians are very practical with food! Gently lift the gnocchi making sure not to break them and drop one piece very carefully into the boiling water. This is a test to make sure the gnocchi will keep their shape. It should fall to the bottom of the pan and for the next three minutes or so rise as it cooks.
If it falls apart, the mixture is 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 up, 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 crowd them too much because there’s a danger of overworking them and making them dense and unattractive. Put them on a tray lined with wax 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 do not do is make the gnocchi too full, add salt to the water. Drop the gnocchi into the water one at a time and cook for three to five minutes. once they are all in the pan we start preparing the sauce.
Melt the butter by turning around a pan over low heat and add sage leaves and fry for a minute, add the water, pour the drained cooked gnocchi into the butter sauce. Top with sauce and serve immediately.
