Friday, April 25, 2008

Ricotta gnocchi with lemon thyme butter sauce

Ricotta gnocchi with lemon thyme butter sauce

I know that many people frown at the simple mention of the name “ricotta” - right, C.? :)

I’m not one of those. I really like ricotta and find it very versatile. You can use it in both sweet and savory recipes and jazz it up with a diversity of flavors.

Valentina posted this gnocchi recipe a while ago on her blog in Portuguese and it sounded so easy I had to try it myself. Another use for the wonderful lemons in my fridge and also for my newest addiction: fresh thyme.

whb-two-year-icon

This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Margot, from Coffee and Vanilla.

Ricotta gnocchi with lemon thyme butter sauce

Ricotta gnocchi with lemon thyme butter sauce

Gnocchi:
250g ricotta cheese
¼ cup (25g) grated parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra grated parmesan, to serve

Sauce:
80g unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Start with the sauce: place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the butter melts completely. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now, the gnocchi: place the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, egg, flour, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well until smooth – the ricotta cheese we have here in Brazil is a bit dry, so I started by breaking it with a fork and then added all the other ingredients. You'll see specks of ricotta in the gnocchi because I did not want to overmix the dough.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased or coated with cooking spray surface and shape into a long log; cut the gnocchi – they should be about 2cm.
Make indentations in each dough ball with a fork – I did not do that.

Cook the gnocchi in a large saucepan with boiling salted water – as soon as the balls come up to the surface, they will be almost ready; let them cook for another 30 seconds then remove them carefully from the pan, using a skimming ladle.

Heat the sauce, pour over the gnocchi, sprinkle with parmesan and serve at once.

Serves 2

44 comments:

Stella said...

Pat, this looks sooooo heavenly! I love the way you combined your ingredients, and I agree that fresh thyme is much much much better than dried ones;)

Peter M said...

What's wrong with ricotta? Greeks have been using Myzithra (like ricotta) for ages.

My Italian neighbor was just talking about gnocchi like these...this is good stuff girl!

Manggy said...

Goodness, let those insane people hate it-- more for us!! :D I'd like to have a plate, please, with extra gnocchi- and extra sauce ;)

Deborah said...

I can't believe some people don't like ricotta! I've never had ricotta gnocchi, but it sounds and looks wonderful!

Silvia - Magnolia Wedding Planner said...

I really can't believe there's someone who hates ricotta..it's soooo delicious expecially when it's really fresh. And I like a lot gnocchi too. So fantastic recipe dear!
Thanks
Silvia

Anonymous said...

I adore Riccotta cheese and these are just delightful looking.

Susan @ SGCC said...

These are the gnocchi of choice in my family. The ricotta makes them light and fluffy. (So you can eat more of them!) They look scrumtious, especially with that beautiful sauce!

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Oh see now you had me at ricotta...I love it in anything, especially gnocchi, another of my absolute favorite foods :)

Coffee and Vanilla said...

Hi Patricia,
Thank you for your entry :)
I'm adding this recipe to my favourites and I will try it soon... Margot

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Looks delicious, especially with the bits of fresh herb peeking through!

Peabody said...

I don't have gnocchi but I do have some ravioli...I think this is the sauce I will use tonight!

Anonymous said...

Oh, these gnocci look great! i love the sauce on top!

Jerry said...

I'm not a fan of ricotta, but i bet the sauce cuts the taste. So I'm all in!

hungryandfrozen said...

Ooh, I love ricotta, always have. And I love the simplicity of this recipe - that gnocchi sounds seriously good with all that butter :)

Anonymous said...

Yum! I love Gnocchi and that sauce sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

people frown at ricotta? who? what? why?

this looks lovely.

Kajal@aapplemint said...

how can anyone not like ricotta,
babe this dish is really making my mouth water. i would so like to have this for lunch.

jasmine said...

I like ricotta, in pastas and cheesecakes. These gnocchi look fabulous.

j

Anonymous said...

I just LOVE gnocchi!

After my fourth divorce I moved to Florida to live with my boyfriend "Big Bear" in his trailer house. He is so lovable in his "Crown" . . . you can see his photo on my website . . . that I wanted to fix him a special dish, even though he already weighs 437 pounds.

My daughter (she posts as MrsDocChuck) just got out of prison, so we are going to celebrate using your recipe to make the ricotta version of gnocchi for Big Bear.

I think that my favorite store, whole foods, has everything we need, and they take food stamps. Also I am sort of a celebrity at Whole Foods because they know I used to be a PROFESSIONAL CHEF in Brooklyn. Of course, I am now working at a collection agency here in Clearwater.

On my website I have posted some of my favorite recipes. One of them is called "Gnocchi for Big Bear". BUT, I think your recipe is probably more healthful than mine . . . and Big Bear just HAS to lose some weight. The whole trailer house squeaks when he walks around.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Neat! I always shy away from gnocchi because of preparing the pototoes, but the use of ricotta is excellent - would love to try.

Nora B. said...

Dear Patricia,
Thank you for your message, you are so sweet. I am doing fine. I just can't seem to get back to blogging since I took a break. Sadly, I seem to have lost my inspiration and enthusiasm. But I hope that this coming weekend, I will photograph some food and post something. My blog was one last Friday, but even that could not inspire me to write again...so sad, I know. But I have to make time for my blog since it is important to me, so wish me luck ;-)

xx nora

Anonymous said...

Wow, the gnocchi looks really good and even though I've never had any I have to give them a try soon!

giz said...

Wow - now this is something I would not have thought of and so glad I found. I love the presentation of it - lovely.

Ginny said...

I agree, not like ricotta? What is wrong with those people? I made ricotta gnocchi recently too...Next time I'll have to try the lemon thyme sauce. Quite delicious!

Emily said...

That looks yum-licious. (?)
I LOVE ricotta. And fresh thyme!
I used a little thyme tonight. It gives so much flavor, but it doesn't overwhelm.

Anonymous said...

Love gnocchi and these look so yummy.
Will try to make them later this week, love that they have ricotta in them.
Keep up the great work

LyB said...

Fresh thyme is also an obsession of mine these days and I love ricotta! Have you ever tried making it yourself? Amy, of Eggs On Sunday, has a great recipe on her site, so easy and incredibly delicious! Your gnocchi look so tempting!

Dagmar said...

This looks amazing, just what I would need for dinner :-) I'll definitly try this!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Stella, fresh herbs are wonderful, aren't they?

Pete, to me, there's nothing wrong with it. :)
Thank you, my dear friend!

Mark, you've said it all. ;)

Deb, me neither!

Silvia, I'm glad you like it, sweetie! ;)

Cathy, thank you!

Susan, very light indeed and healthy!

Michelle, high five! :)

Margot, thank you, darling!

Lydia, fresh herbs can make anything so much better!

Pea, this sauce is great!

Farida, thank you!

Jerry, use this sauce with spaghetti or linguine, it's fantastic!

Laura, very simple and quick!

Marc, tks for stopping by!

Michelle, they're crazy. :)

Kate, I'm glad you like it, tks!

Jasmine, tks for your visit!

Chiffonade, tks for stopping by, I hope your family likes it!

T.W., these are really quick.

Nora, I'm glad to hear from you. And I do hope you find your inspiration back again, since it's always a pleasure to read your blog!
xoxo

Michelle, give these a go, darling.

Giz, thank you very much.

Ginny, this sauce is oh, so good.

Emiline, I used it in another pasta dish, it worked so well!

Paul, gotta take a few lessons from you, my friend. :)

LyB, I want to - have been thinking of it since I got a Donna Hay magazine with a homemade cheeses article. Just need to buy the proper fabric.

Dagmar, I'm glad you'll be trying it, I'd love to hear your opinion about it!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

ricotta gnocchi is one of my favorites! and that sauce sounds fabulous!

Anonymous said...

That plate looks delicious, I have a similar recipe that I was waiting to try out but your version makes me want to make it right now! :)

test it comm said...

That ricotta gnocchi looks so good!

Kalyn Denny said...

I love fresh thyme and this sounds just delicious! Very creative recipe.

Anonymous said...

Mouthwatering!
Ronell

Marianna said...

Are you kidding me, I LOOOVE Ricotta!! It's one of the best things in this world!!Mmm! And plus I love gnocchi, and I've never tried gnocchi and ricotta together the way it's featured in your recipe...but it sounds so incredibly good and mouthwatering!

RecipeGirl said...

I would never, ever frown in ricotta's presence. I love the stuff! This recipe is a great idea!

Julie said...

I love gnocchi and do those little dumplings you made ever look good, I wish I had some right now.

Anonymous said...

Oh my GAWD. I just audibly gasped when I saw this recipe. Seriously incredible, Patricia! Am bookmarking this one to try pronto! :)

Sarah said...

This just looks amazing. I love your weekend herb blogging entries every time!

Anonymous said...

The post by "chiffonade" was not made by her, but rather by Charles Treuter, internet troll, stalker and convicted felon.

Jaime said...

i love ricotta, too. i've never heard of ricotta gnocchi before, but it sure looks great, esp w/the lemon thyme sauce!

Joe Horn said...

Love the blog, always enjoy reading it. I really like these gnocchi. I just made a gnocchi with choux pastry for the first time and it was incredible. Come take a look if you have a chance and let me know what you think. http://cookingquest.wordpress.com

Thanks so much!

Joe

AnnaMaria R. said...

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Patricia Scarpin said...

Anna Maria, thank you for letting me know.

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