Ricotta Gnocchi with a Simple Tomato Sauce
I was helping a friend open his restaurant when he made this tomato sauce for his staff dinner. I loved how fresh it tasted, but more than that, I was impressed by how quickly it came together. While gnocchi may seem time-consuming or laborious, this version, which is made by simply rolling ricotta in flour, is as simple as the sauce. Together, they make an extravagant-feeling meal that gives the illusion of time and effort while secretly being quick and easy to make.
Equipment
Ingrediënten
- Serves 6 to 8
- 1¾ pounds tomatoes Early Girl or Roma preferred, peeled (see this page)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sugar
- 2 sprigs basil
- About 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 12 ounces whole milk ricotta
- Shaved Pecorino Romano for garnish
Instructies
- Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze their seeds over the sink to discard.
- Put the remaining flesh into your blender, and blend on low speed until a smooth puree forms.
- In a large pot on low heat, stir together the olive oil and shallots until the shallots have softened without browning, about 4 minutes.
- Shallots burn easily—be sure to keep the heat low and stir frequently.
- Add the tomato puree, the bay leaf, and a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Add a small pinch of sugar and stir to combine.
- Once the sauce begins to simmer, turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the basil, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, remove the basil and discard.
- Meanwhile, prepare the gnocchi.
- On a large cutting board, pile the flour next to the ricotta.
- Top the ricotta with 1 teaspoon black pepper and gently roll it into the flour, pushing the ricotta forward and flipping it until the ricotta and flour combine to form a consistency similar to wet dough.
- The amount of flour you use will depend on your ricotta, but it should be around 1 cup.
- Sprinkle a handful of flour across a clean cutting board to prevent the cheese from sticking.
- With plenty of flour on your hands, form the dough into a ball and use your palm to flatten out the top so the dough is about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the flattened dough into 1-inch-wide slices that resemble breadsticks.
- Roll out each slice into a log about ¾ inch in diameter, then cut each log into a ¾-inch “pillow.
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- Dip the prongs of a fork into the flour and then onto the top of each gnocchi pillow.
- Applying gentle pressure, pull the fork toward you until the ball spirals to resemble a seashell, about one half-full turn.
- Do this one at a time, setting aside the finished gnocchi on a paper towel, spaced without touching to prevent them from sticking to each other.
- Just before serving, bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
- Once boiling, add salt to taste.
- Reheat the tomato sauce over low heat.
- Taste and adjust the salt level to your liking.
- Cook the gnocchi for 1 minute in the boiling water.
- Remove carefully using a slotted spoon and place on your serving dish.
- Top with the tomato sauce and Pecorino Romano and serve immediately.
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