Ricotta-Basil Gnocchi

One of my roommates’ favorite dinners to make is gnocchi – which I think is pretty impressive for a girl who, before last September, had never cooked or done her own laundry in her life. Why she decided to tackle gnocchi is beyond me, but I’m glad she did, because it always tastes delicious. The only thing we ever dispute about it is how to pronounce its name – another of my roommates is very Italian, so it is her unrelenting wish to have us call it nyAH kee. (And we do, sometimes. We also call it NO chee, NO kee, knocky, and so forth. We’re consistent like that.)

Anyway. I’d always wanted to try making it, since it seemed so simple (but good). So the last time I went home, I did. We had some extra, fresh basil lying around from a previous meal, so I did a little Googling, and came up with this (please ignore the dodgy basil on top; it was all that was left):





RICOTTA-BASIL GNOCCHI
adapted from Sunset @ My Recipes and helpwithcooking.com

Marinara Sauce Ingredients*
2 cans of crushed tomatoes (16 oz)**
12 freshly chopped basil leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 tablespoon of olive oil
6 chopped cloves of garlic
2 teaspoon (or more) of sugar
2 tablespoon or so balsamic vinegar
salt

Gnocchi Ingredients
1 carton (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
About 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
About 1/2 teaspoon pepper
About 2 1/3 cups flour
About 1 tablespoon salt


Marinara Sauce Directions

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat.

Add the chopped garlic and cook gently until light brown in colour, taking care not to burn the garlic.

As the garlic just begins to brown add the tomatoes with the juice from the can and stir well.

Then add the liquids together with the sugar, vinegar, oregano, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for around 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Once the desired consistency has been reached, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the freshly chopped basil.


Directions for Gnocchi

While marinara sauce is simmering (or after, if you aren't comfortable making them concurrently), mix ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, the basil, eggs, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until well blended. Add 2 cups of the flour and stir until evenly moistened.

Scrape dough onto a board lightly coated with flour and knead until it forms a smooth ball that's no longer sticky, about 20 turns, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Cut dough into 10 pieces. With your fingers, roll each into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut ropes into 1-inch pieces and lay, slightly apart, on baking sheets lightly coated with semolina.

In an 8- to 10-quart pan over high heat, bring 5 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Gently push gnocchi into water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Spoon marinara sauce into a bowl and mound gnocchi on top. Add more salt, Parmesan, and pepper to taste.

Serves 6.


* I originally made only three servings, but I have adjusted both recipes here to reflect the original six.

** They don't have to be crushed tomatoes; you can use diced or whole, and simply take a potato masher to them while they're on the stove.