Ricotta Gnocchi

Do you like gnocchi, but don’t want to go to all the trouble of baking potatoes, ricing them, and then making gnocchi? Do you wish you could just mix a few ingredients together and have done with it? Would you like to have delicious gnocchi available for quick and easy dinners? Well, this is the recipe for you. Plus it makes enough that you can turn a few minutes of work into multiple meals.

It’s as easy as mixing a few ingredients, then shaping gnocchi. Once shaped, they go into the freezer and you can cook them up in minutes anytime you need something fast. And, they’re light and delicious. Perfect for saucing with anything from a simple butter sage sauce to a pesto sauce to a light tomato sauce. With that in mind, let’s get scratchin’! Oops, almost forgot: this recipe is based on our Goat Cheese Gnocchi.

Ingredient discussion:

We think you should use eggs that come from free-ranging hens. We always try to (there are some times when we can’t buy our eggs of choice, and have to get ordinary eggs from the store; we call those wog eggs). We did make the ricotta for these gnocchi, and, if you ever want to try making cheese — some, as is ricotta, are really easy — start with our recipe for Ricotta Cheese. Pecorino Romano is a sharp salty sheep’s milk cheese; other choices could be Parmagiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano.

Procedure in detail:

Make dough. This is a really simple dough. Just place all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and stir until a dough forms. It might help to get in there with your hands and knead it just a little. Not too much — you don’t want to work the flour and develop the gluten — just enough to form a dough without dry spots.

Divide and roll. Cut the dough into four pieces to make it easier to handle. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a rope or snake on a floured work surface. It should be about the diameter of your finger.

Cut and shape. Use a bench knife to cut the rope into pieces about 1/2 inch long. Now, you have a couple of choices: you can transfer them as is to a baking sheet, leaving a small space between each gnocchi. Or, if you want to be more traditional, you can roll them over the tines of a fork or a grooved board to form the traditional ridges in the gnocchi, and then place them on the baking sheet. We’ve done it both ways and they each taste good.

Freeze. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour so the gnocchi can freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for longer-term storage. You’ll want to cook these gnocchi right from the freezer, as they’ll be a bit easier to handle.

Cook. Bring a large kettle of salted water to a gentle boil. Add gnocchi and return to a simmer, stirring gently with a slotted spoon. When the gnocchi float to the surface, they’re almost done. Let them simmer for 1 minute more, then scoop them out with the slotted spoon, and serve with a sauce of your choice.

These really are the easiest gnocchi to make. It takes just a minute to make the dough; there’s no time waiting for the dough to rest or rise, you simply roll, cut, and shape. Then, once they’re frozen, they take about 5 minutes to cook. Ricotta gnocchi are light and fluffy, and have a mild flavor that will pair with anything. These are perfect for any meal. Five stars.