Steamed Ricotta Dumplings Recipes

SPINACH AND RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a simmer. Put the spinach in a large bowl and separate it with your hands. Add the ricotta, 3/4 cup parmesan, the flour, eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg. Mix with a fork to form a slightly sticky dough.
• Spread some flour on a plate. Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the spinach-ricotta mixture and roll into about 24 loose balls using floured hands. Gently roll the balls in the flour.
• Bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the butter.
• Meanwhile, gently lower the dumplings into the simmering water and cook until they rise to the surface and are firm, about 5 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain off, and add to the sauce. Gently toss to coat, then transfer to plates and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Serve with bread.

RICOTTA CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• 1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until very smooth. You should have a stiff, sticky batter. Refrigerate for one hour.
• 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of cold water nearby, and a skimmer or wire strainer to remove the cooked dumplings.
• 3. Using a small spoon, scoop out a rounded teaspoon of the batter. Use a second spoon to scrap it off into the boiling water. Do batches of 8-10 dumplings. When the water comes back to a boil, and the dumplings float, cook them for 3 minutes.
• 4. Remove to the dumplings to the bowl of cold water. Carefully drain and reserve until ready to serve. Reheat in the sauce of your choice, and serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

STEAMED RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Line a strainer with double layer of cheesecloth. Put ricotta in strainer; place strainer over a bowl. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Discard liquid. Transfer ricotta to a medium bowl; add prosciutto, Parmesan, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Lightly dust a parchment-lined baking pan with cornstarch, and set aside. Place a dumpling skin on a clean surface. Using your fingertip, wet edge of both sides of skin. Place 2 teaspoons of ricotta mixture in center. Draw up edges; make a small pleat. Squeeze pleat firmly together; continue making pleats until dumpling is sealed. Place completed dumpling on prepared pan. Loosely cover with plastic wrap. Repeat process, using remaining skins and filling.
• Fill a wok or a high-sided saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, bringing water to a simmer. Using a pastry brush, generously brush top and bottom compartments of large bamboo steamer basket with oil. Brush any excess cornstarch from dumplings; arrange loosely in compartments. Assemble steamer, cover, and place over simmering water. Steam until wrappers are soft and filling is heated through, about 8 minutes, switching top and bottom compartments halfway through steaming.
• Pour 1 teaspoon tomato sauce into a Chinese soupspoon, and place a dumpling on top; if using another vessel, serve sauce on side. Garnish with basil leaf, and serve.

MALFATTI (ITALIAN SPINACH RICOTTA DUMPLINGS IN NAPOLI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Saute garlic and onion: Heat oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened.
• Simmer sauce: Add remaining ingredients plus the stem of basil. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be fairly thick rather than a loose runny sauce.
• Drain ricotta, if needed: The ricotta should be the dry and fairly crumbly type rather than wet, soft and almost spreadable. If it's wet, see Note 1 for removing excess water (wet ricotta makes Malfatti hard to shape and cook!)
• Sweat spinach: Toss spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll up in tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.
• Sauté garlic, eschalot and spinach: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and eschalot, cook for 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to large bowl, allow to cool.
• Malfatti mixture: Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients into the bowl. Mix well to combine. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings.
• Form dumplings: Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture then shape into a football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24-30.
• Boil dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then carefully put 6 dumplings in. Cook for 2 minutes, they should float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.
• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
• Assemble: Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish, then top with Malfatti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake 15 minutes or until the Malfatti has a faint blush of gold on the surface (Note 3).
• Serve! Sprinkle baked Malfatti with parmesan and basil leaves (tear large leaves). Spoon into bowls and served as-is. No starchy side is required, think of these as like gnocchi. Just add a leafy green salad with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing!

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and lemon juice and sauté until mushrooms are brown, about 6 minutes. Add dry vermouth. Boil 3 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Set aside. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Blend ricotta, yolks and 1 tablespoon Parmesan in processor. Add flour and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into ricotta mixture in 2 additions. Fold in breadcrumbs.
• Pour water into heavy large skillet to depth of 2 inches. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons into water. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Turn dumplings over, cover pan and cook 3 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to paper towels and drain.
• Bring mushroom sauce to simmer. Add 6 tablespoons butter and stir just until melted. Place dumplings on platter and spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan and chives.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE FOR STEAMED RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook until golden, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove garlic, and pass sauce through food mill. Sauce may be made up to 1 week in advance, and refrigerated. To serve, warm over low heat.

APRICOT DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, brown sugar and salt to combine. Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add it to the bowl. Use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands to combine the cream cheese into the mixture until fully incorporated.
• Make a well in the center and add the egg to it. Use a fork or small whisk to beat the egg slightly, then mix the dough until it comes together and is fairly smooth. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze to chill slightly while you prep the apricots.
• For the apricots: Use a paring knife to cut a small circle around the stem end of each apricot. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to push the pit out of each apricot while keeping the apricot whole (it will now be hollow in the center). Note: The riper the apricots, the easier this is. If they're firm, you may need to use the knife to cut around them more. Press a sugar cube into the center of each apricot.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs, melted butter and nutmeg to combine.
• Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. Dust the work surface lightly with all-purpose flour, then use your hands to flatten each piece of dough slightly. Gently wrap each piece of dough around an apricot, pinching well to seal.
• Reduce the water to a simmer, then drop the dumplings into the water. Cook until the apricots are tender and the dough is fully cooked, 12 to 15 minutes. At first, they'll sink into the water, but once they're finished, they'll start to float towards the surface.
• While the dumplings cook, toast the buttered breadcrumbs in a small saute pan over medium heat until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Return to the bowl and stir in the granulated sugar.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the dumplings and drain well. Gently roll each in the toasted breadcrumb mixture to fully coat.
• To serve, dust the dumplings generously with confectioners' sugar. Serve with whipped cream or yogurt, if desired.

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, cheese, egg yolk, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until combined. Sift 1/2 cup flour over mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold together. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and sift remaining flour over top. With fingertips, gently incorporate flour into dough and lightly knead just until dough comes together (do not overwork dough).
• Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 3/4 inch thick and 20 inches long. With a knife or dough scraper, cut each log into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Drop pieces into boiling water. Cook until they plump up and float to surface, 2 minutes. Drain dumplings and shake off excess water.
• In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium. When it sizzles, add dumplings and cook, undisturbed, until golden on one side, 6 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with cheese. Serve warm.