Ricotta Gnocchi

After my grandmother died no one could ever duplicate her gnocchi.  My dad's sister tried, but hated the process.  I initially tried this in high school in the traditional way...potatoes and flour.  The problem here was that large amounts of flour had to be added to hold the potatoes together and it weighed down the dish.  Watching TV one day I stumbled upon a show called "The Best Food I Ever Ate."  One of TV's most popular chefs (probably not for her culinary skills either) Giada De Laurentiis was raving about a ricotta gnocchi.  She went on to explain how the ricotta blended naturally with the flour to make a better gnocchi with less flour.  Well hell if it's good enough for Giada then it's good enough for me.  So here we go...it's a bit of a twist on my grandmothers original but still one of my top 3 dishes.

16oz ricotta Cheese

1 egg

½ cup parmesan

¾ cup flour

Drain overnight in the refrigerator 1 16 oz. container whole-milk ricotta cheese in a sieve that has been lined with paper towels (most people use cheesecloth, but I didn't have any at the time).

In a large bowl, mix well the drained ricotta with 1 large egg, 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 c. finely chopped parsley or other herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in 3/4 c. all-purpose flour.

Cover the bowl and chill ricotta dough in refrigerator over night.

Take a small handful of dough and roll it on a well floured wooden surface.  When you have rolled out a long rope cut into 1" pieces with a butter or pastry knife.  Dredge each ball in flour, place on a floured sheet or tray lined with wax paper. After all the gnocchi have been shaped, cover the trays and chill again for several hours. 

When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a few gnocchi at a time (1/3 cookie sheet full), let cook about 3-5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.  Basically when they float they are done. Do this for all the gnocchi.

Serve however you wish.  This is a filling dish so a light oil/butter sauce or a classic vodka sauce works best!

As a note, if the gnocchi dough when you first mix it doesn't seem like it will hold together well later, add a little bit more flour.  This is a trial and error recipe until you become comfortable.