Chickpea-Ricotta Gnocchi

Makes: 4 servings

Time: About 1 hour with cooked beans

 

Like standard potato gnocchi (page 350), these are small boiled dumplings. But since they’re based on chickpeas, not potatoes, they’re more flavorful and even heartier. Another benefit: The dough is a little easier to handle. In any case, you can treat these exactly as you would gnocchi. Sauce them like pasta, sauce and bake them, or simply toss in butter or oil. See the list that follows for some ideas specific to this recipe.

Using a food mill will produce a finer texture than a food processor, but either gives fine results. The trick is to keep the chickpeas as dry as possible, so resist the temptation to add any extra water. Just keep scraping the side of the work bowl or food mill until you get a smooth and fluffy consistency.

Other beans you can use: cannellini, gigantes

• 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained until as dry as possible
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• About ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Sauce or melted butter for serving

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2. Put the chickpeas and a little salt and pepper in a food mill set over a large bowl and run them through. (Or use a food processor to purée them as smooth as possible, then put them in a large bowl.) You should have about 2 cups. Use a fork to stir in the ricotta and nutmeg. Add ¼ cup of the flour and stir to combine; continue to add and stir in more flour until the mixture forms a dough you can handle, but just barely. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead for a minute or so. Pinch off a piece of dough and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape; if it does not, knead in a bit more flour.
3. Take a small handful of the dough and roll it between your palms into a rope about ½ inch thick, then cut the rope into 1-inch lengths. (Traditionally, you would spin each of these pieces off the tines of a fork to score it lightly, but you don’t need to. What you do need to do is be gentle and handle them as little as possible.) As each gnoccho is ready, put it on a sheet of wax paper; do not allow them to touch.
4. A few at a time, add the gnocchi to the boiling water and stir gently. After they rise to the surface, count to 20 (or so) and remove with a slotted spoon. (Taste one or 2 to make sure your timing is right.) Put in a bowl with a little warm sauce or keep warm in a pan with melted butter. Serve as soon as you have cooked them all; these do not keep well, so enjoy hot.

Chickpea-Tofu Gnocchi Make it vegan: Substitute mashed silken tofu for the ricotta. V

3 Great Ways to Finish Chickpea-Ricotta Gnocchi

1. Toss gently with warm Tahini Sauce (page 306) and sprinkle with grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese. Garnish with chopped black olives and parsley if you like.
2. Add a spoonful or 2 Harissa (page 665) to Fast Tomato Sauce (page 312) and sauce them with that.
3. Serve with Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce (page 667).