Ricotta Gnocchi

Had some friends over for lunch today and I made Ricotta Gnocchi with a Tomato Cream Sauce. The recipe is from the September/October 2007 edition of the Cook's Illustrated magazine. I personally love gnocchi, but I was hesitant to make this as so much can go wrong with gnocchi. I've had really bad gnocchi and really good gnocchi. This one I have to say doesn't taste like regular gnocchi at all. It tastes more like a cheese ravioli without the pasta skin. It doesn't have the same texture as potato gnocchi, but good just the same. Here's the recipe:

Ricotta Gnocchi
September October 2007 of Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1 (15 or 16 oz) container whole milk ricotta cheese
2 large slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into quarters
1 large egg
2 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
table salt
6 tbsp all purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

1. Line fresh mesh strainer set over deep container or bowl with 3 paper coffee filters or triple layer of paper towels. Place ricotta in lined strainer, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, process bread in food processor until finely ground, about 10 seconds. Spread crumbs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and just beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes, stirring once during baking time. Let cool to room temperature. (You should have about 1/2 cup of crumbs)

3. Transfer drained ricotta to food processor and pulse until curds break down into fine, grainy consistency, about eight 1-second pulses. Using rubber spatula, combine ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add flour, Parmesan, and bread crumbs, stir until well combined. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes. Check texture of dough and add more flour if needed.

4. Lightly dust work surface with flour. With floured hands, roll lemon sized piece of dough into 3/4 inch thick rope, rolling from center of dough outward. Cut rope into 3/4 inch long pieces and transfer to parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, dusting work surface with flour as needed.

my gnocchi army!

6. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Reduce heat so water is simmering, then gently drop half of gnocchi into water and cook until all pieces float to surface. Continue to simmer until gnocchi are cooked through, about 2 minutes longer, adjusting heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Using slotted spoon, scoop gnocchi from water, allowing excess water to drain from spoon; transfer gnocchi to skillet with sauce and cover to keep warm. Repeat cooking process with remaining gnocchi. Using rubber spatula, gently toss gnocchi with sauce until uniformly coated. Divide among warmed bowls or serving platter and serve immediately.

Note:

• I used part skim ricotta in my gnocchi.
  
• I didn't have parsley on hand, so I omitted it.
• I ended up using about 8 tbsp of all purpose flour in my dough because it was still very sticky after refrigeration.
  
• When rolling out the dough, you will need a lot of flour, dusting the work surface all the time. The dough is incredibly sticky.
  
• When cooking the gnocchi, keep a close eye on the water. Make sure the water is not at a full boil or your gnocchi will fall apart.