Honing My Skills

There are certain things in the kitchen that scare me to death. Homemade gnocchi tops the list. I can never seem to get it right even when I use pre-made gnocchi. However I was poking around and saw a few posts on the ease of ricotta gnocchi. This came out perfect. Its so simple and clean and most of all satisfying.

Sage and Brown Butter Ricotta Gnocchi

2 large eggs
15 oz ricotta, just under 2 cups
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup flour
½ stick unsalted butter
20 fresh sage leaves
Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated for garnish

Heat a large pot of lightly salted water, to boil on high heat.

In a metal bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the ricotta, cheese and spices. Mix thoroughly with a fork, make sure to break up all of the cheese clumps. Add in the flour and stir to combine. Generously flour your work surface then finish mixing the dough with your hands, it will be pretty wet. Cut the dough in half and roll it in the flour, to coat the outside. Then roll it out into a long snake, till it is about 1 inch in diameter. Using a small paring knife, cut into 1 inch pieces.


Once the water comes to a boil, drop the first batch of gnocchi into the boiling water, making sure not to over crowd the pan. Let it boil for about 5 minutes till done. It will all rise to the top and the water will start to boil higher. While the first batch is cooking, roll out the other batch and cut it. Remove one piece of gnocchi and run it under cold water and taste it to make sure it is cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, drain the first batch to a colander, rinse quickly in cold water to keep it from sticking. Add more water to the pot and return it to a boil. Once boiling, add in the second batch of gnocchi and cook it till done. Drain the cooked gnocchi.


In a large skillet, start to melt the butter. Once the butter is completely melted, add in the sage leaves and stir. Once the leaves look like they are getting crisp and the butter is starting to turn a light brown, add the cooked gnocchi to the pan. Quickly toss to coat in the butter then let it sit for 1 minute to brown. Gently toss the gnocchi again and leave to brown for another minute.


Serve the gnocchi in a bowl, including some of the sage leaves and sprinkle with the freshly grated cheese.