Tag Archives: Ricotta

Gnocchi!

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Gee, are’t you glad we’ve galloped along to the letter g?

And to a big ol bowl of gnocchi!

I love gnocchi.

But it’s not a dish I grew up with.

See, Italian food is very regionally specific. My family comes from Naples and gnocchi comes from Northern Italy, the other side of town.

So I don’t have a gnocchi recipe passed down from my grandma.

Instead, I have one I found on Food 52 courtesy of Christina. This is her grandma DiLaura’s gnocchi recipe.

So thank you, Christina for sharing, and thank you, grandma DiLaura for passing it down.

Most people think of potato dumplings when they think of gnocchi. But that’s just limiting yourself to the vast potentials of gnocchi! This recipe here is a ricotta version that is the lighter fluffier more pillowy cousin of the potato gnocchi.

It sounds intimidating, making your own gnocchi. But I promise you, it’s super simple and well worth the extra 20 minutes or so that making your own takes versus opening a package from the grocery store.

You will need

  • 1pound fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1large egg
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 2cups flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling dough

Add the ricotta egg and oil to a bowl and mix.

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add the parmesan and mix

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add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing in between.

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stir until the dough comes together

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then turn out onto a floured surface

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Divide the dough, lengthwise, into 4 pieces so it’s easier to work with.

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Now, like when you were a kid playing with playdough, start rolling the dough section out like a snake.

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working your hands out from the center so the snake gets longer and thinner

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when it’s about 1-2 inches wide (depending on how big you want your gnocchi) slice the dough into 1 inch pieces.

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Next, take a fork and one of your little dumplings

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and roll the gnocchi over the tines of the fork to make grooves in it

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the sauce will stick inside those little ridges

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Repeat until all your dough is made into cure little gnocchi

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These can be used right away or they can  be frozen for later use. If freezing, lay out on parchment paper in a single layer so the gnocchi aren’t touching and pop in the freezer for an hour.

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Once they are frozen, you can pop them into a ziploc bag.

To prepare, remove from the freezer and drop gently into a pot of boiling water. Gnocchi are done when they rise to the top.

Top with a simple tomato sauce, pesto or aglio e olio

Prosciutto, Pea, Ricotta Pasta Salad

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So the boyfriend is not coming home for dinner and we leave for vacation tomorrow.

That means two things.

1. I can make something he doesn’t like.

2. I don’t want to buy any groceries since we’re going away for a week.

This means a rummage in the fridge. I cam up with some ricotta cheese and some prosciutto left over from sub night.

The cabinets are always stocked with pasta.

And I make it a point to always have some kind of frozen vegetable in the freezer.

In this case, it’s peas. He hates peas, so that covers point 1.

I don’t know how anyone can eat peas. They’re so fresh and bright and springy. They burst open in your mouth and release their yummy flavor with every bite.

Oh well. I like them, so I’m making them.

This is a super simple dish that you can easily make ahead and toss in the fridge. It’s a good one to make in a huge batch for a party or to leave in the fridge to be portioned out for lunches during the week.

Like I said, I had everything on hand. So you can adjust this to what you have. Frozen broccoli would be really good, too. And if you want to make it vegetarian, you can easily leave off the prosciutto. I like the saltiness it adds, so maybe add a sprinkle of parmesan if you eliminate the prosciutto to give it back that salty bite.

This is an almost no cooking dinner.

Defrost the peas according to the instructions on the package.

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Look at those bright green emeralds! I don’t understand how anyone could not want to eat them up.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil.

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I’m using these little mini farfalline, or bowtie pasta. Farfallina means little butterfly in Italian. (Farfalla is butterfly. the ina makes the word mean little). The pasta does kind of look like little butterflies.

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Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box. You can use any shape you like. I prefer something with some shape to it. I don’t like angel hair or spaghetti for this. I like that the farfalline is about the same size as the peas. It makes it easy to eat.

As the pasta cook, rip up some prosciutto and drop it in a dry skillet. Cook over medium until it crisps up.

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When the pasta’s done, drain it and toss it in a bowl with the peas.

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Add a scoop of ricotta and stir.

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Top with the crispy prosciutto.

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This is a great bowl to curl up on the couch with. Especially while watching Say Yes to the Dress!

Oh my god. What is she thinking? That dress is atrocious.

Forbidden Fruit – Peaches

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Bible scholars have it all wrong.

In the garden of Eden, it wasn’t an apple with which Eve tempted Adam.

No, it was not a bright red apple that grew from the Tree of Knowledge.

No, sirs. No. I say.

The forbidden fruit that caused the ejection of our ancestors from paradise was a juicy, summer ripe peach.

For what is more sinful than biting into a plump, golden peach and licking your fingers as the juices drip down your arm. Sensual. Seductive. It surely was the peach that drove Eve to sin.

Exhibit A: in China, the peach is the fruit of the gods and is a symbol of longevity (http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/flowers_symbolism.htm)

When I opened the weekly circular for my local grocery store and saw that peaches were on sale this week, I felt that little thrill you get when you do something you know you shouldn’t.

Why do peaches conjure these feelings?

Perhaps it has to do with their tantalizing scent and sweetness.

Or maybe it’s just the association of peaches with steamy summer nights, languid beach days and standing in the fridge with a spoon eating peaches out of the bowl.

Going back to the weekly circular. Yes, I check out what’s on sale that week.

Firstly, because well, who doesn’t like saving money and who, with a city kitchen especially, doesn’t need to save money?

Secondly, things are usually on sale when they are in season. Fruits and vegetables are cheaper when the cost of transportation etc is cheaper, meaning when they are able to be obtained locally.

I try to support local growers when I can.

And I am more than happy to take those peaches off your hands Mr. Local Farmer Man.

Growing up, I spent my summers at the beach. My parents have a beach house in the small town of Fenwick Island, Delaware (12 streets. There are 12 streets in the town).

My dad’s family has always rented a cottage a few blocks over, and one or other of his siblings is there most of the summer with some or all or an assortment of cousins.

But the best week was always when my aunt Ann Marie was there. Because Ann Marie cut up peaches.

It’s such a simple thing really, ripe peaches cut up in a bowl.

Ann Marie would always buy pounds and pounds and bags of ripe, fresh peaches and she and my grandma would sit in the tiny kitchen of the cottage cutting up the endless piles of peaches. The smell would overwhelm the beach side cottage. It would overpower the salt air wafting off the ocean.

The peaches would be tossed in a bowl with some sugar and put into the fridge overnight. Overnight, the sugar worked its magic, drawing out the juices and making a natural syrup surrounding the peaches.

We’d clamor around the big bowl, spoons diving in, no time to scoop out into our own servings.

We were all family.

The first time I brought my boyfriend to the shore to meet the family, we walked into the cottage and my aunt said “I cut peaches!”

I was thrilled. He didn’t know what she meant.

He had never had cut peaches.

Well he had eaten peaches before, but not like this.

He couldn’t understand my excitement. Until he had his first bite.

Now he gets just as excited as I do about peach season.

Admittedly, it’s a little early. August is really when they’re best. But if Mother Nature is going to give us peaches in May, I am not going to say no.

This isn’t really a recipe. More of a suggestion. One you won’t be sorry to follow.

Buy a pound of peaches. You want nice firm fruit that waft peach scent into the air.

Wash and dry them.

Break out a cutting board and start slicing. You can cut in wedges. I go for chunks.

Drop the peaches into a bowl. Or a glass jar. I use a jar because I love opening the fridge and seeing a jar full of gold and pink peaches dripping in their own juices.

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Sprinkle the cut peaches with sugar. Or drizzle with honey. I actually prefer honey, but my aunt and grandma always used sugar. I just like the extra sticky syrupyness the honey provides.

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Resist the urge to eat these right away. Refrigerate overnight. You won’t be sorry.

I love having a jar of peaches in the fridge all summer.

You can eat them right out of the jar.

Or you can top some Greek yogurt with peaches and granola for a healthy snack or breakfast or a light lunch.

Warm toast, slathered with ricotta cheese, piled with cubed peaches and topped with an extra drizzle of honey is a sweet bruschetta for a 3 O’clock pick me up.

A bowl of peaches topped with a dollop of whipped cream is a virtuous dessert on a hot night.

So go, off to the store with you.

And ask as T.S. Eliot did,

Do I dare to eat a peach?

From The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

“Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.”