Ricotta Gnocchi

A few months ago I came across this reel for Ricotta Gnocchi and I've been wanting to try them out ever since. Tonight I finally did and they were delicious!

I drained my ricotta for a few hours before making the dough and barely any liquid came out. My dough was pretty wet and difficult to work with initially. I added more flour, a little at a time, until it seemed right. Next time I will try this using homemade ricotta and see if that helps. Since the dough was hard to handle, I was not able to roll smooth looking "ropes". The end product didn't look nearly as nice as I would have liked, but they get covered in sauce anyway so it doesn't really matter. The important thing is how they taste and these did not disappoint!

The "sauce" I used for these was actually Butternut Squash Soup mixed with a little bit of pasta water. The combination was insanely good!

Ricotta Gnocchi

Recipe courtesy Meryl Feinstein

 

454 grams (16 ounces) best-quality full-fat ricotta, drained and/or blotted dry if needed
55 grams (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
70 grams eggs (about 1 large egg plus 1 yolk), lightly beaten
3 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
150 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs and salt and mix thoroughly until smooth. Fold in the flour with a spatula until well combined. The mixture should hold together but still be a bit tacky. If needed, add another tablespoon of flour.

 

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few moments, with a light touch, until the mixture is homogeneous and there are no visible streaks of flour. You do not need to rest the dough before shaping.

 

Dust work surface and dough with flour. Cut dough into thick slices (roughly the width of two fingers) using a bench scraper or sharp knife.

 

Dust a piece of dough with flour and gently roll it back and forth to create a smooth exterior. Continue rolling dough outward into a thick rope, about ¾-inch diameter. If dough gets sticky, dust with more flour. Continue with remaining dough slices.

 

Cut each rope into bite-size pillows, roughly 1 inch in length.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Closely arrange gnocchi in a single layer on the prepared sheet without touching. (Finished gnocchi can sit at room temperature or uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.)

 

Fill a large pot roughly two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Season generously with salt.

 

Using a spider sieve or slotted spoon, carefully lower gnocchi into water and cook until they float to the surface, about a couple of minutes, plus an extra 30 seconds. Transfer gnocchi to a large skillet filled with sauce of choice.

 

Yield: 2-4 servings.

 

NOTES:

Tips for Perfect Ricotta Gnocchi:

If you have the time and a food thermometer, try making your own ricotta! It’s simple, and you’re in control of the cheese’s texture.

 

If using store-bought ricotta, make sure it’s a high-quality, full-fat variety.

 

The thicker (and drier) the ricotta, the easier it will be to work with. To remove excess moisture from store-bought ricotta, line a baking sheet with paper towels, spread the ricotta across the sheet, top with more paper towels, and blot dry. Repeat if needed. Alternatively, strain the ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined colander for several hours (overnight is even better!).

 

Keep flour to a minimum to ensure light and fluffy gnocchi.

 

For extra smooth ricotta, briefly whip in a food processor or blender. A quick blitz removes some of the grainy texture, resulting in creamier ricotta and smoother dough.

 

Butternut squash soup thinned out with pasta water for the sauce!

Butternut Squash Soup

I had a big butternut squash in my fridge that I needed to use and wasn't sure what to make with it. Usually I would cut it up and roast it in the oven and serve with pork, but this squash was pretty big. I also had some ricotta in my fridge and wanted to try a ricotta gnocchi recipe, so I decided I would make that with the butternut squash. At first I thought I would roast the squash to serve with the gnocchi but I knew that would not use up much of it. Then I thought of making this butternut squash soup and using it as a "sauce" on the gnocchi, serving the rest as soup or freezing it.

The soup was rather thick since my butternut squash yielded about 10 cups of cup up squash, so I used a little bit of pasta water to thin out the portion of the soup that I was using as sauce for the gnocchi, which worked really well. My gnocchi sauce turned out delicious! I had some left over Dutch oven bread that I made last night, and dipping that in the soup was delicious as well!

My mom and my sister Maria make this soup recipe so I've had it before and knew it was good but this was my first time making it. It's very simple and straightforward. Since I'm lactose intolerant, I omit the butter, and I appreciate that this recipe doesn't use cream in it like some others. I used my immersion blender, which made the last step very easy. If you love butternut squash, give this recipe a try!

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

 

2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls.

 

Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Some soup thinned out with pasta water and mixed with homemade gnocchi!

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup is one of my favorite soups for this time of year. I have never actually made it, but my mom and sisters make this recipe of Giada's and it's delicious, so I wanted to share it.

A lot of my family members cannot have dairy (which is one reason they make this recipe over others - it does not have any heavy cream in it!), so instead of using butter they only use olive oil. They do not put sage in their soup, so I put that as optional. They also do not make the crostini that is included in Giada's recipe so I left that out. My mom added a few more carrots the last time she made this and I think it tasted the best out of all the batches of hers that I've had!

This soup is delicious by itself, but I also love to dip grilled cheese in it if I'm having it for lunch. Yum!

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

¼ cup chopped fresh sage leaves (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls.

Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Since fall is here, it's a good time to start making dishes with butternut squash, or you can roast it and serve it alongside a main dish. Here is a simple recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash that tastes delicious. You can roast the squash alone or with potatoes, carrots, or any other vegetables you desire! I made this tonight and my husband loved it - he said it was the highlight of the meal. I already had squash diced into smaller chunks before I decided I was making this, but I still roasted them for 30 minutes and they were perfect.

If you have never cut a butternut squash before, you can google how to peel and slice it or just check out this link. I used my biggest and sharpest knife and cut the top and bottom off of mine, used a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off, sliced it in half longways, scooped the seeds out with a spoon, and then diced it in small pieces. I did this two nights ago and used half of it for another recipe. It's easy to do this prep work ahead of time and keep the diced squash in a container in the refrigerator until you need it!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten

                       

1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or coarse black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place the squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

Yield: 4-5 servings.

Ready for the oven

Roasted

Mezzi Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Spicy Sausage

Last night I tried a new recipe that I thought would be great for fall - Giada's Mezzi Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Spicy Sausage. It was absolutely delicious! The combination of butternut squash and arugula made this dish taste great. The only thing I think I will try different next time is to either greatly reduce or eliminate the parmesan cheese in the dish and just let everyone add their own, and add a bit more salt and some pepper. I personally think Giada goes a bit heavy on parmesan in her recipes and I'm sensitive to too much dairy. I love parmesan but I think this would still taste great without so much cheese in it.

To make this easier on myself, I peeled and diced my butternut squash the night before and stored it in the refrigerator until I needed it. I used ground sage sausage from a local Amish market instead of spicy sausage. I also did not end up needing any of the pasta water but it's a good idea to have some reserved just in case. If you use baby arugula there really isn't any reason to chop it. If you do the prep work with the butternut squash ahead of time, this meal comes together quickly and easily. It's very filling and delicious - all you need to add is some good Italian bread!

Mezzi Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Spicy Sausage

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis

1 pound mezzi rigatoni pasta

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 Tablespoons for finishing

1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch pieces

1½ cups water

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cups roughly chopped baby arugula

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until just al dente. Drain well reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into bite-sized pieces, until the sausage is cooked through.

Add the diced squash to the pan and stir to combine. Add the 1½ cups water and season with the salt. Using the wooden spoon, make sure all of the squash is submerged. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender and the liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta and ¾ cup Parmesan. Stir vigorously to combine, breaking up the squash slightly as you go and thinning with pasta water as needed until the pasta is coated in a light and creamy sauce.

Stir in the arugula and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook just until the arugula is wilted. Serve topped with the remaining Parmesan.

Yield: 4-6 servings.