Ricotta Gnocchi

Store-bought gnocchi just doesn’t compare to scratch made.  These little pillows are perfect with really any kind of sauce. 

Ricotta gnocchi is a lot less work than its sister, potato gnocchi.  There’s no potatoes to boil or peel.  All you need is a carton of good ricotta cheese.  I’m not really into low fat cheese, they usually pump it with extra sugar or salt to make up for the lack of fattiness.  I’d rather stick to whole fat and less junk!  

Make a little well with the ricotta cheese…

You need a nice large flat, clean surface.  I just went ahead and used our granite countertops, pretty easy to clean and a big enough surface to get the job done.

Sprinkle the ricotta cheese with the flour, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Next crack the egg into the center of the well.  

Start incorporating the egg into the rest of the mixture slowly with a fork. 

After it is all incorporated, begin to lightly knead the dough. 

After it’s kneaded, break off a chunk of the dough and roll it into a ball. Then take that ball and begin rolling it into a long log. 

Cut off about 1 inch. long pieces to make the little gnocchi.

These little ridges are what makes these so perfect for holding onto sauce.  Here is a gnocchi board, they sell them in some kitchen stores, but you can also just use a fork.  Press the gnocchi onto the board with your thumb and as your pressing, roll your thumb off.  This will create a little pocket and ridges almost all the way around the gnocchi.  I like to do mine on the diagonal. 

Then they should look like this!

Make sure to dust them with some flour on whatever plate or surface you put them on.  Boil them in a large pot of salted water until they float.  Then serve with pesto, or broccoli rabe and sausage, or tomato sauce, or pretty much anything.  

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