Ricotta Gnocchi

I've said before on this blog how much I love Italian food and this recipe is no different. I had only ever known of potato gnocchi (which didn't overly excite me), but after some particularly good ricotta gnocchi in a restaurant, I knew I had to recreate this type! Based on a Margaret Fulton recipe, these gnocchi are so easy to make. They take less than 15 minutes to mix and roll and only 5 minutes to cook! Talk about speedy cooking. You can also make up a bigger batch and freeze some for later.

I served mine with my homemade arrabbiata sauce and a large garden salad, but you can certainly experiment with that. These gnocchi can be served 'as is' after being boiled or they can then be pan-fried in a little olive oil until golden- both ways are delicious.

Ricotta Gnocchi

250g reduced fat fresh ricotta

1/3 C grated parmesan

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½-¾ C plain flour

 

1. Combine the ricotta, parmesan and egg in a medium sized bowl. 
2. Add the flour and mix lightly until just combined. Add only as much flour as you need to make a workable dough.
3. Divide the dough in three and roll each piece into a 2-3cm thick log (depending on how small or large you like your gnocchi). Cut 2-3cm slices and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook gnocchi by dropping them into the saucepan and removing then when they float to the surface (after ~5mins) as this means they’re cooked.
5. Optional: Pat gnocchi dry with paper towel and add to a frypan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Toss until lightly golden on each side. Remove and serve.

          Serves 3.