My Favorite Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe

"Gnocchi" is the Italian word for "dumplings". The word "gnocco" (which is the singular) means knot and it seems (from my research) that the word "gnocco" was used to describe the shape of the finished item which resembles a knot in wood. Personally, I don't think the gnocchi I have seen resemble knots in wood.

The concept of a dumpling is not unique to Italian cooking. In fact, most cuisines have one or more forms of dumplings which are served either as the main ingredient in a dish or as a minor ingredient (eg, dumplings included in a stew).

The most common form of gnocchi is potato gnocchi which are made by combining potatoes and flour with other ingredients but gnocchi can be made from a wide variety of other foods such as semolina and vegetable combinations. Historically, the main ingredient for the gnocchi reflected the availability of ingredients which depended on seasonal availability of ingredients or the financial means of the family.

Here is what you will need to make these ricotta gnochhi:
* ricotta;
* flour:
* eggs;
* milk; and
* salt.

I have not listed quantities as the amounts of each ingredient you use will depend on how much ricotta you use and the moisture level of the ricotta.

Take the ricotta out of the fridge and let it get to room temperature. Once the ricotta has got to room temperature, place as much ricotta as you decide in a bowl and mash the ricotta with a fork or a potato masher. At this point, slightly beat one egg for 200 every grams of ricotta, add the beaten egg to the ricotta and then mix the ricotta and egg mixture so that ricotta and eggs are combined well. The mixture does not have to be too smooth. The accompanying photo shows how my ricotta and egg mixture looked last time I made ricotta gnocchi.

Next add some flour and salt to taste. I start by adding 250 gram of flour for 500 gram of ricotta. Mix the flour into the ricotta mixture. You will need to keep adding flour until the liquid is absorbed and you have a dough that is soft. The aim is to arrive at a consistency that is the same as bread dough after it has risen the first time - that is, quite a soft dough that holds together well and is easy to work. If your dough is too hard, add a little milk to soften the dough and also further ricotta if necessary (as you will not want to end up with a dough that tastes just like flour).

After you have finished amalgamating the dough in a bowl, work the dough on a floured board for a few minutes to ensure that the gluten in the flour is activated. And then let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, you can prepare a sauce or just relax.

Once the dough is rested, it is time to roll the dough and make the gnocchi. If you have a pasta maker with an attachment to make gnocchi, then you should follow the instructions for your machine. My mother never owned a pasta machine with a gnocchi-maker attachment and nor have I so I have always rolled and made gnocchi by hand. I actually find it very therapeutic.

If you are rolling the dough by hand. once the dough has rested, work the dough for one or two minutes on a floured board and then pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into sausages of about 1 cm to 1.5 cm in diameter. Then cut the sausages into 1 cm to 1.5 cm pieces so that you have almost square lumps of dough (ie, gnocchi). The accompanying photo shows how some of the dough I rolled looked. The sausages do not have to be perfect cylinders.

After you have rolled all some of your dough and produced all some gnocchi, you need to roll each individual gnocco so that it has a ridged surface. (You can of course finish rolling all your dough before you start making the ridged surfaces.) My mother has always told me that the ridged surface is very important as the ridges are required so that the sauce adheres to the gnocco but there are many recipes for ricotta gnocchi and other gnocchi which do not have ridged surfaces.

You can make the ridged surface by rolling each gnocco on a wooden gnocchi board (boards are readily available in Australia in kitchenware outlets or online). These boards have ridges and grooves on them. To make the ridges on a gnoccho, place a gnocco at an end of the gnocchi board and place one or two fingers on the gnocco (depending on the size of your gnocco and your fingers) and then gently roll the gnocco down the board so that the gnocco has as many ridges as possible on it. If you do not have a gnocchi board, you can roll the gnocchi on a fork. The photo below shows gnocchi I made which were rolled on a fork.

Place a large quantity of water in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Then add as many gnocchi as necessary and reduce the intensity of the heat so that the gnocchi are simmering at a pace that is less than a rapid boil but more than a slow simmer (I err on the side of a more rapid simmer). The gnocchi will float to the top when cooked. Fresh gnocchi should cook in around 5 minutes but you should always taste the gnocchi to ensure that they do not have a floury taste. When cooked, drain the gnocchi and dress with a little olive oil or butter and your favourite sauce. Traditionally, my family has opted for a simple tomato sauce but use any sauce you like. The accompanying photo shows cooked gnocchi before any sauce has been added.