Can we talk gnocchi?  What could be more amazing than creating the most ephemeral pasta  in  your own kitchen from only a few ingredients and without any special equipment? This is a project that is perfect for weekend days. Even small children can help roll out the dough and cut it with a butter knife, and having ricotta gnocchi in your freezer means you can have a quick and delicious meal any night of the week.

Years ago, I read an interview with the legendary chef, Thomas Keller of The French Laundry where  he contended that repetition, is essential to becoming an intuitive cook. In essence, he instructs the cook to make a recipe exactly as written. A few days later, write a simpler version of the recipe down on paper and make it again. Repeat over several weeks, using fewer instructions and making small adjustments such as switching a vegetable or spice. Over this time, you will come to “own” the recipe, as well as gain an understanding of the techniques that are involved. Really, isn’t this how our grandmothers cooked?

Hopefully I caught your interest with the seasonal Pumpkin Gnocchi. Ready to branch out? Here is some repetition with a little variation from the gnocchi you may have tried making. The first recipe is for the basic gnocchi; the second is an idea for turning it into a main dish. But you can never go wrong with a side of fresh gnocchi with some tomato sauce or even just butter and cheese!

Skip the pancetta for a vegetarian meal and do try with your favorite GF flour if you eat gluten free. Leave a note in the comments to let me know how it turned out!

Ingredient and Recipe Notes for Ricotta Gnocchi

Gather all of your ingredients together. Use quality ingredients for the best results: unsalted butter, whole milk ricotta, good grated cheese. Ricotta makes the gnocchi light; potato makes them easier to handle.

For more instructions on mixing and shaping gnocchi, please refer to my Pumpkin Gnocchi post.

Once all of the ingredients are mixed together (perfectly fine to do it by hand), add just enough flour so that you can work the dough without it sticking. The moisture in the ricotta and the potatoes, as well as the size of the eggs and the humidity in the air will all affect exactly how much flour you need.

The dough rolled out into ropes then cut into bite sized pieces. Then you can use  your thumb to make an indentation or a fork to make traditional grooves. Either way, it means that the gnocchi will hold more sauce!

Holding the gnocchi in your left hand, and a fork in the right, roll the tines over the dough

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Ricotta Gnocchi

A recipe for homemade ricotta and potato gnocchi.

Ingredients

• 1 large baking potato (about 1 C mashed)
• 2 eggs
• 1 C ricotta cheese, whole milk
• 2 T butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• 3 C flour

Instructions

• Boil the potato and mash until smooth. Cool.
• Mix the potato with the eggs and salt and whip until fluffy. Stir in the ricotta cheese, butter, Romano cheese and about 2 1/2 C of the flour.
• Knead until smooth, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter. 
• Roll the dough out into 1/2″ ropes and cut it into 3/4″ pieces. Arrange the gnocchi on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and cover until you are ready to cook them. Alternatively, place the baking sheet in the freezer. When the gnocchi are frozen solid, remove them to a zip top bag and store in the freezer. 
• To cook the gnocchi: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi in (it is fine to take them directly from the freezer). When they rise to the surface, they are done. This will only take a couple of minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander. 

Ricotta Gnocchi with Spinach, Pancetta and Mozzarella

All of the ingredients. Defrost the spinach in the microwave if you haven’t planned ahead.

You will make a quick, fresh tomato sauce while the water is boiling for the gnocchi.

The gnocchi, pancetta and spinach are arranged in an ovenproof baking dish.

Here the tomato sauce and mozzarella have been added. It just needs a final sprinkle of basil and into the oven it goes!

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Ricotta Gnocchi with Pancetta, Spinach and Mozzarella

Ricotta Gnocchi baked with tomato sauce,  spinach, pancetta and mozzarella

Ingredients

• 3/4 recipe Ricotta Gnocchi
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 oz pancetta
• 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 sprig basil
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella
• 2 T basil, chopped
• 1 `10 oz box frozen chopped spinach.

Instructions

• Start heating a large pot of salted water for the gnocchi.  Defrost the spinach. 
• While it heats, place the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the pancetta.  Cook until it starts to turn golden, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the garlic to the pan and cook briefly; it should not brown. Add the tomato sauce and sprig of basil. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the flavors blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook the gnocchi in the boiling water and drain well. Place them in an oven proof dish. Add the pancetta, spinach and  tomato sauce. Mix lightly. Next tear pieces of mozzarella and arrange them on top of the gnocchi. Sprinkle the chopped basil over everything.
• Place the dish in a 350 F oven for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

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It’s Pumpkin Season!  Ok, honestly, I could take or leave a lot of the crazy pumpkin flavored products that flood the market this time of year…but I have always loved Fall. I love the cooler days and the gorgeous foliage here in New England; I especially love feeling inspired to spend Sundays in the kitchen with the range running and delicious smells filling the house.  And one thing that says “It’s Fall!” to me is pumpkin ricotta gnocchi (with a healthy dose of sage brown butter, of course!).

Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings and they may be flavored with cheese, potato, herbs or even chocolate or prunes. I typically find that gnocchi dough made from potatoes is easier to handle, but may produce a heavy finished product. Conversely, dough made from ricotta is more difficult to work with, but the gnocchi are light and tender. The answer? A combination of both, with pumpkin standing in for potato in this Autumn version.

This is a dish that can be made in advance (see notes for freezing at the end) and is both festive enough to serve as a first course for Thanksgiving and elegant enough for a dinner party. 

Edit: Thanks to a wonderful reader, I have been made aware that this recipe works well with gluten free flour! She used Cup for Cup. I also like Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend.

Recipe and Ingredient notes for Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi

Pumpkin: Either canned or fresh pumpkin work well here, but the secret is to remove excess water. Cooking the pumpkin puree briefly on the stovetop drives off excess water and intensifies the pumpkin flavor.

Flour: Either all-purpose or the Italian type 00 flour work well.

Technique: The flour is given as a range, because how much you will need to use will depend on the moisture content of your pumpkin and ricotta. The key to tender gnocchi is a) add only the minimum amount of flour needed to prevent sticking and b) do not overwork the dough, as this will develop gluten.

Add just enough flour to the dough so that you can shape it. Your work surface and your hands should be lightly floured.  

After the dough rests, divide it into eight pieces. Cover the ones that you aren’t using with a towel. Roll each piece out to about 15″ long and cut into 3/4″ pieces. Transfer the pieces to a parchment lined baking sheet. Optionally, you can use the tines of a fork to create ridges on the gnocchi.

Cover your gnocchi until they are ready to be cooked.

Or… freeze them on the baking sheet. When they are completely solid, transfer to a ziplock bag and store in the freezer until you are ready to use them. The gnocchi can go directly from the freezer to boiling water.

Cooking:

Everything comes together quickly at the end, so while the salted water is boiling, set up a colander inside a bowl and start browning the butter in a skillet.

The sage is cut very finely and added to the brown butter.

The gnocchi will sink to the bottom of the pan of water. When they float to the surface, they are done and can be removed to the colander with a slotted spoon.

Carefully transfer the drained gnocchi to the brown butter and sage mixture. The gnocchi can be cooked briefly in the brown butter, to just transfer the flavors or they can be cooked a little longer until the outside is golden and crispy. Your call! They are both delicious.

Serve with freshly ground pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

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Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi

A recipe for pumpkin and ricotta gnocchi, served with a brown butter and sage sauce

Ingredients

• 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 C ricotta cheese whole milk
• 1 Egg
• 1 Egg yolk
• 3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 1/4-2 1/2 C flour
• 1 stick butter
• 4-5 leaves sage slivered

Instructions

• Cook pumpkin puree over very low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. The pumpkin will darken in color and become dryer.
• Combine pumpkin, ricotta, egg, yolk, Parmesan, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium low speed until smooth. Add about 2C of flour and mix until just combined.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Continue working additional flour into the dough until it is smooth and you can just work it without excessive sticking.  Cover with a towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep the rest covered), roll it out into a 15″ rope. Cut the rope into 3/4″ pieces and transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Keep the gnocchi covered until you are ready to cook them, or freeze immediately.
• To cook: Bring a large pan of well salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the water. They will sink. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon.
• For brown butter and sage sauce: Place a stick of butter in a skillet. Heat over medium low until the butter foams and then the solids become golden brown. Watch it carefully to avoid burning. Add the slivered sage.
• Carefully transfer the drained gnocchi to the skillet with the brown butter sauce. Beware of spattering! Mix to combine and serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Alternatively, the gnocchi can be cooked for a few minutes in the butter until they are golden and crispy.

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