Ricotta Gnocchi With Lemon Basil Pesto Recipes

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH LEMON BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, whip the ricotta to break up the curds. Add the egg and stir until evenly combined.
• 2. Add flour and mix well.
• 3. Roll into snake, cut into 1/2 inch piece and make an indentation with your thumb into each gnocchi.
• 4. Dust with corn meal.
• 5. Place in boiling water when they rise to the top they are done.
• 6. MAKE PESTO BEFORE COOKING GNOCCHI!! Place lemon in food processor and process till finely chopped.
• 7. Add basil, pine nuts and garlic blend.
• 8. Add cheese and drizzle olive oil in as processing.
• 9. In a medium hot saute pan add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and 4-5 strips of lemon zest
• 10. Add drained gnocchi to saute pan add prepared lemon pesto toss add some parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH PESTO CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate until the 'dough' holds the shape of a ball when rolled between your hands, at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into long strips and pinch off 1-inch pieces (the same size as regular gnocchi). Work fast or your dough will start to become super tough to work with! Put the gnocchi on a plate and put back into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• While the gnocchi is resting, make the pesto sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a blender and pulsing until combined. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium heat on the stovetop. Drop in the gnocchi, a few at a time, and watch for them to rise to the surface of the pot. After 1 minute at the top of the pot, about 3 minutes total, remove them with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. Top with the pesto cream sauce and a dash of cracked pepper and serve.

ONE-POT PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND LEMON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined.
• Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce.
• Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce that's pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, red-pepper flakes and basil, if using.

ARUGULA PESTO WITH HERBED RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• 1. Make the pesto: With the motor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor to mince. Add the pine nuts, arugula, spinach, and Parmesan and pulse until the greens are finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil to make a thick paste. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. (The pesto can be made up to 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.)
• 2. Make the gnocchi: Place the semolina, chives, sage, chervil, fennel, salt, nutmeg, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl and, with your hands, blend in the ricotta. Flour your hands and knead the dough in the bowl until all the ingredients cling together. The dough will be sticky, but do not add more flour or the gnocchi will be heavy.
• 3. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and dust with flour. Place about 1/3 cup of dough at a time on a lightly floured work surface and roll it underneath your palms to make a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut the rope into 3/4-inch-long pieces. Using the tines of a fork, press an indentation into each piece and place the gnocchi on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
• 4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they rise to the surface. Boil for 30 seconds, until the gnocchi are set but tender. Drain well. (The gnocchi can be made up to 4 hours ahead, rinsed under cold water and drained well.) Toss the gnocchi with olive oil and store at room temperature. To reheat, cook in a large nonstick skillet over low heat, or drop into boiling water to warm. Toss the hot gnocchi with the pesto, garnish with marigolds, and serve immediately.

RICOTTA CHEESE GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Combine the ricotta, eggs and Parmesan in a large bowl, along with some salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup flour and stir; add more flour until the mixture forms a very sticky dough. Scoop up a spoonful of dough and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape; if it does not, stir in a bit more flour.
• Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts and turns a nutty brown color, add the sage. While it fries, drop the ricotta mixture by the rounded tablespoon into the boiling water, working in batches of six or so at a time so as not to overload the pot.
• When the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet. When all the gnocchi are done, toss, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately.

GNOCCHI WITH LEMON & CHIVE PESTO

Steps:

• Place the garlic, herbs, pine nuts, cheese and lemon zest in a small bowl, season well, then stir in the olive oil and lemon juice. Set aside.
• Cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted boiling water following pack instructions, then drain well. Tip into a serving bowl and toss through the pesto. Serve with extra grated Parmesan, if you like.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Put ricotta in a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Whisk in Parmesan and taste. The mixture should be well seasoned. Add eggs and mix well, then sprinkle in 1/4 cup flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. You should have a soft, rather sticky dough. Dump dough onto a clean work surface. Add a little more flour if necessary and pat very lightly to form a soft mass.
• Test the dough: Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Take 1 tablespoon of dough and drop into water. Dough should sink to the bottom, then rise to the surface. Let simmer 1 minute, then remove and taste. If the dumpling keeps its shape, continue to Step 3. If it falls apart, add a little more flour to the dough, but carefully: If you add too much, the gnocchi will be stodgy.
• Dust dough lightly with semolina, then cut it into 4 equal parts. Dust work surface with semolina. With your hands flat, gently roll each piece into a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter and 12 inches long. Keep sprinkling semolina on dough to keep it from sticking to the counter or your hands.
• Using scissors or a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut each log into 12 pieces. Dust bottom of a baking sheet with semolina. Transfer gnocchi with a spatula to baking sheet, leaving space between them so they are not touching. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour (or leave in a cool room).
• To make the parsley pesto, put parsley, garlic, olive oil and butter in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly, then blend to a rough purée. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You should have about 1 cup pesto, more than you need for this recipe. Leftover pesto can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month.
• Place a large pot of well-salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi, working in batches, if necessary. When they bob to the surface, let them cook for about 2 minutes and lift them from the pot with a slotted spoon or spider, transferring gnocchi to a large, wide skillet. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons pesto and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to skillet and swirl pan to coat gnocchi.
• Serve gnocchi in warmed individual shallow soup bowls or a deep, wide platter. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and dust with Parmesan. Pass more grated Parmesan separately.

CHEF JOHN'S BASIL RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Briefly blanch basil leaves in simmering water, about 20 seconds. Transfer immediately to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain on towels. Place basil in bowl of a blender. Add eggs. Blend until basil is blended in and mixture achieves an even green color with flecks of basil.
• Place ricotta in a mixing bowl. Add basil/egg mixture, salt, cayenne, Parmesan cheese, and flour. Thoroughly mix together using a spatula; whisk mixture to ensure ingredient are evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 2 hours.
• Scoop out a small portion of dough using a teaspoon. Using a second spoon, shape into a rounded oval. Repeat until you have enough gnocchi for a batch, about 6 or so.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Drop shaped gnocchi in batches into pot as you form them. After a minute or so they will rise to the surface. Continue simmering until they spring back to the touch when you remove one from the water to test it, 2 to 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Optional step: Melt butter in a skillet until bubbling. Add cooked gnocchi and brown on each side. Serve with a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of the butter from the pan.