Ricotta Gnocchi

with Simple Tomato Sauce

• • • Makes 6 to 8 servings • • •

Light and delicate, these cheese gnocchi are a lovely alternative to classic potato gnocchi, especially as part of a spring menu. They can be made ahead of time and frozen so that all you have to do is cook them when it’s time to serve. Use your own homemade ricotta, or a high-quality commercial one from an Italian delicatessen or a good market. For years I used a regular table fork to shape my gnocchi, but a couple of years ago a friend gave me a small wooden gnocchi board that has vertical ridges on one side (see Sources). It’s perfect for this dough, but a fork is fine, too.

About 1 cup (125 g) Italian “00” flour or unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface and as needed to stiffen the dough

1 pound (454 g) Buttermilk Ricotta (page 203) or best-quality store-bought cow’s milk ricotta, well drained

½ cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

4 cups (907 g) tomato sauce, preferably homemade (page 120)

1 • Dust two large baking sheets with flour.

2 • In a large bowl, break up the ricotta with a fork and work it until it is smooth. Add the Parmigiano, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and white pepper and mix well with a spatula. Sprinkle the 1 cup flour over the top and fold it in. Scrape the mixture onto a well-floured work surface and sprinkle a little more flour on top. Knead the dough into a soft, pliable ball. It should feel slightly wet but not sticky.

3 • Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and cover the rest with a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle the work surface with a little more flour and roll the piece of dough into a rope about the thickness of your pinkie. Cut it crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

4 • Roll each piece of dough down the tines of a fork, using a finger to propel it and, at the same time, create a small indentation in it. When you are done, you should have the groove from your finger on one side and ridges from the fork tines on the other. (If you happen to own a gnocchi board, you can use that instead.) Place the gnocchi on the baking sheets as you roll them. You should end up with about 130 gnocchi.

5 • If cooking immediately, you can leave the gnocchi on the baking sheets. Otherwise, pop the baking sheets into the freezer and freeze until the gnocchi are solid, 1 to 2 hours. Transfer them to a zipper-lock freezer bag or a tightly lidded container and freeze for up to 1 month.

6 • To cook, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. In a saucepan, heat the tomato sauce to a simmer. Turn the oven on to a low setting. Spoon a little of the sauce into a serving bowl and place the bowl in the oven to keep warm.

7 • Gently drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. (If they are frozen, transfer them straight from the freezer to the boiling water.) In a couple of minutes, even before the water returns to a boil, the gnocchi will start to bob to the surface. Let them cook for about 3 minutes, then taste one; it should be soft and tender but cooked throughout, with no raw flour flavor. If not quite done, cook for another 2 minutes, then taste again.

8 • Transfer the gnocchi with a skimmer or slotted spoon to the serving bowl and spoon more sauce on top (don’t toss the gnocchi with the sauce, as they are quite delicate). Sprinkle each serving with a little Parmigiano, and serve.

Variation  • Serve the gnocchi with a sauce of melted butter and chopped sage in place of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle generously with Parmigiano. Or serve with Classic Pesto Genovese (page 171).