Ricotta Gnocchi

• Mise en place; get everything you need together in one place. Cover the cookie sheets with parchment paper and dust lightly with flour.
• If the ricotta isn't the dry kind sold at your local deli, you will need to drain it overnight to remove as much whey as possible. Using a cheesecloth, wrap the ricotta in it. Place the wrapped ricotta in a sieve and suspend that over a bowl to catch the whey. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
  
• Discard the whey and place your strained ricotta in a clean bowl to begin making the gnocchi.
  
• Using a fork make a well in the ricotta and crack the egg directly into the well. Using the fork combine everything thoroughly.
• Add approximately 1/3 of the flour to the egg and ricotta mixture. Using the fork combine well. Add another 1/3 cup of flour along with finely grated cheese. Again, use your fork to combine thoroughly.
• Add flour 1 tbsp at a time working it into the dough thoroughly using your fingers. Make sure that the flour has been completely combined before adding the next tbsp. Do this until the dough no longer feels wet. But it will feel moist.
• You most probably will NOT need to use all the flour. However, let your ricotta and flour be your guide. You may need more flour or less.
• Transfer your gnocchi dough to your clean and sanitized countertop or work surface. Gently knead until the ricotta and flour come together and forms a soft, smooth, pliable, but not sticky to the touch dough. About 1 minute. Note: The dough might be a little tacky, but not sticking to your hands.
• Make a ball with the dough and put it back into the bowl. Cover it with cling film or a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. This allows the flour to become fully hydrated. If your kitchen is very hot or the weather is warm put your covered dough in the refrigerator. This step is optional. You can roll, cut and cook it immediately.
• When you get ready to roll and shape the gnocchi, put 6 quarts of water with a splash of oil (optional) into a large 7-8 quarts dutch oven or a stock pot and bring to a rolling boil. Note: If you’re going to cook all of the gnocchi, I suggest using a large stock pot or cook it in two batches. This will prevent the gnocchi from sticking together. Once the water has come to a rolling boil add a good pinch of kosher salt.
• Dust your work surface with flour and gently knead the rested gnocchi dough a couple of times. Cut your dough into 4 quarters or manageable sizes. Dust each quarter lightly with flour and roll out into a long rope or sausage shape. You get to choose how thin or thick the rope is. My preference is somewhere in the middle.
• Flouring your dough scraper or a sharp knife, cut the rope into equal size pillow shaped portions. This will enable them to cook evenly. Once all the gnocchi have been cut, then shape them with the tines of a fork or a gnocchi board if desired. Then place them in a single layer, so they’re not touching on a very lightly floured parchment lined cookie sheet.

Cooking

• Using parchment paper drop all the gnocchi into the boiling water at the same time. Give the pot a good, but gentle stir to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot and or clumping together. Bring the pot back to a boil and allow to cook. The gnocchi are cooked when they float to the surface 2-3 minutes. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon. To prevent overcooking remove as soon as the gnocchi is floating.
• Your homemade ricotta gnocchi is now ready for whatever culinary adventure you want to take it on.
• This is what I did. In a garlic and thyme infused oil I pan sautéed the gnocchi for 3-4 minutes on one side until it was golden brown. Then, flipped them over and cooked for about another minute or so. I created a spicy cream marsala wine sauce. With a pesto surprise under the gnocchi.
• I put 1 tbsp of pesto in the center of the serving plate, covered it with the golden brown gnocchi and then spooned over the spicy cream sauce. I garnished with cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped parsley, and finely grated parmesan cheese.