On Christmas Eve we have started a tradition of making homemade pasta for dinner. This year we wanted to learn about gnocchi and it turned out we created a great recipe! I have been using Einkorn flour for my pasta which is a lower gluten wheat flour with a slightly higher protein, for some who find regular wheat hard to digest, this might be the answer.
I used both sheep's milk ricotta and farmers cheese, as the farmer's cheese is a little drier and seemed to do the trick to make the dough firmer. The sauce comes together in minutes, especially if you brown the sausage a bit ahead of time. This has definitely become a family favorite!
Serves 4 generously
The Gnocchi
8 ounces sheep’s milk ricotta
8 ounce salted farmer’s cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups Einkorn flour, plus more for adding and dusting
Place the farmers cheese and sheep’s milk ricotta in a strainer and allow to drain for about 10 minutes
Add them to a bowl and mix the ricotta and farmers’s cheese together until smooth
To the bowl, add 2 large beaten eggs, salt, and Parmesan, and mix well
Add the flour and mix well, continue adding flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, but can be handled with floured hands.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and gently knead a couple of times, being careful not to overwork the dough and making it tough
Pat into a large disk and cut it into quarters
Roll each quarter into a long rope about ½” thick
Cut the log into 1” pieces
Roll each piece over the back of a fork to create ridges
Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil
Drop the gnocchi into the water
They will sink initially and rise to the surface when they are cooked, about 2-3 minutes
Transfer the cooked gnocchi to plate and reserve some of the pasta water
Tomato Sage and Sausage Cream Sauce
4 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
4-5 fresh plum tomato, diced
5-6 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup half and half cream
½-¾ cup grated parmesan
Black pepper and red pepper flakes for serving
In a large skillet, sauté the sausage until cooked through and lightly browned
Add the tomatoes and sage and stir until the tomatoes begin to break down and get soft
Add the half and half and the gnocchi and stir
Add the parmesan and continue to stir
If the pasta sauce seem thick, add the pasta water a couple of tablespoons at a time until the sauce loosens up
Continue to cook until the gnocchi is heated through
Dived the pasta among 4 plates and top with a bit of fresh sage, a more parmesan, black pepper or red pepper flakes if desired
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