Ricotta Gnocchi With Parsley Pesto Recipes

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Put ricotta in a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Whisk in Parmesan and taste. The mixture should be well seasoned. Add eggs and mix well, then sprinkle in 1/4 cup flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. You should have a soft, rather sticky dough. Dump dough onto a clean work surface. Add a little more flour if necessary and pat very lightly to form a soft mass.
• Test the dough: Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Take 1 tablespoon of dough and drop into water. Dough should sink to the bottom, then rise to the surface. Let simmer 1 minute, then remove and taste. If the dumpling keeps its shape, continue to Step 3. If it falls apart, add a little more flour to the dough, but carefully: If you add too much, the gnocchi will be stodgy.
• Dust dough lightly with semolina, then cut it into 4 equal parts. Dust work surface with semolina. With your hands flat, gently roll each piece into a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter and 12 inches long. Keep sprinkling semolina on dough to keep it from sticking to the counter or your hands.
• Using scissors or a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut each log into 12 pieces. Dust bottom of a baking sheet with semolina. Transfer gnocchi with a spatula to baking sheet, leaving space between them so they are not touching. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour (or leave in a cool room).
• To make the parsley pesto, put parsley, garlic, olive oil and butter in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly, then blend to a rough purée. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You should have about 1 cup pesto, more than you need for this recipe. Leftover pesto can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month.
• Place a large pot of well-salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi, working in batches, if necessary. When they bob to the surface, let them cook for about 2 minutes and lift them from the pot with a slotted spoon or spider, transferring gnocchi to a large, wide skillet. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons pesto and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to skillet and swirl pan to coat gnocchi.
• Serve gnocchi in warmed individual shallow soup bowls or a deep, wide platter. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and dust with Parmesan. Pass more grated Parmesan separately.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH PESTO CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate until the 'dough' holds the shape of a ball when rolled between your hands, at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into long strips and pinch off 1-inch pieces (the same size as regular gnocchi). Work fast or your dough will start to become super tough to work with! Put the gnocchi on a plate and put back into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• While the gnocchi is resting, make the pesto sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a blender and pulsing until combined. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium heat on the stovetop. Drop in the gnocchi, a few at a time, and watch for them to rise to the surface of the pot. After 1 minute at the top of the pot, about 3 minutes total, remove them with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. Top with the pesto cream sauce and a dash of cracked pepper and serve.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH SPRING HERB PESTO

Steps:

• For the gnocchi: In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add just enough flour to make a soft dough that will not stick to your floured hands, about 1/2 cup. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. On a lightly floured board, with floured hands, roll each piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope, 14 to 15 inches long, then cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured tray and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flour to hydrate and the gluten to relax.
• For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the parsley, chives, mint, pine nuts, and salt and process to a paste. With the motor running, gradually add the olive oil through the feed tube, processing until nearly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add pepper to taste.
• Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi and lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook until the gnocchi float to the top, about 1 minute, then cook for 1 minute longer.
• Whisk a little of the hot pasta water into the pesto to thin it to a sauce consistency. Lift the gnocchi out of the pot with a skimmer or strainer and transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Add the pesto and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another full-bodied white wine.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH LEMON BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, whip the ricotta to break up the curds. Add the egg and stir until evenly combined.
• 2. Add flour and mix well.
• 3. Roll into snake, cut into 1/2 inch piece and make an indentation with your thumb into each gnocchi.
• 4. Dust with corn meal.
• 5. Place in boiling water when they rise to the top they are done.
• 6. MAKE PESTO BEFORE COOKING GNOCCHI!! Place lemon in food processor and process till finely chopped.
• 7. Add basil, pine nuts and garlic blend.
• 8. Add cheese and drizzle olive oil in as processing.
• 9. In a medium hot saute pan add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and 4-5 strips of lemon zest
• 10. Add drained gnocchi to saute pan add prepared lemon pesto toss add some parmesan cheese. Serve hot.