popplers

Homemade gnocchi

One of the things that I love about this area is the great produce. There are several local farms, and Indian Head Farm (Berlin) and Applefield Farm (Stow) are two of our favorites. Pretty much the only thing available right now is asparagus, but it's sooo good. I picked some up on my way home on Friday, and we tried out a recipe that recently appeared in the Boston Globe: Ricotta gnocchi with brown butter and asparagus.

It was my first time making gnocchi, and I thought that this dish would be really amazing. It only took about an hour to make the gnocchi. (Chris made the dough in the food processor, instead of messing around with blunt knives.) Pix of the dough, homemade gnocchi, and the finished dish are available starting here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/popplers/150915201/in/photostream/.

Our overall impression was that the dish was good, but that it needed something. Chris thought that it needed a bright note, maybe some lemon juice or lemon zest. (White wine?) I was wondering if some herbs in the butter might do it— sage or chives. I also thought that the gnocchi would be more tender, melt-in-your-mouth. I don't know if they were tougher than I expected because we over-worked the dough, or if that is just the way they are. I guess we'll just have to experiment and make them again.

This is the recipe as it appeared on boston.com:

Ricotta gnocchi with brown butter and asparagus

Serves 4 as a first course

Drain the ricotta (see spinach and ricotta gnudi recipe) before you use it.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
16 ounces fresh whole milk ricotta
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Extra flour (for sprinkling)
8 ounces fresh asparagus, tough ends snapped off and spears thinly sliced on the diagonal
Olive oil (for sprinkling)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and the egg yolk.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, ricotta, salt, and pepper. Use 2 blunt knives to cut the cheese into the mixture until the dough forms lima bean-sized crumbs. Make a well in the center of the dough and pour in the eggs. Using a fork, slowly combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture just until it comes together.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and place it on lightly floured surface. Cut the ball into 4 pieces and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
5. Working with one piece of dough at a time, halve the piece and roll each into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 1-inch-long pieces, and sprinkle them with flour. Using your thumb roll each lump of dough over the back of the tines of a fork, leaving an indentation from your thumb on one side and the fork marks on the other. Set the pieces aside on a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue until all the pieces are cut.
6. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Drop in the asparagus pieces and cook for 1 minute or until they are bright green but still crisp. Rinse with cold water and set aside.
7. Cook the gnocchi in the large pot of boiling water. After they float to the surface, cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and toss gently.
8. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When it is just beginning to brown, add the gnocchi and toss to coat it all over. Stir in the asparagus. Arrange the gnocchi in shallow bowls, drizzle with the browned butter from cooking, and garnish with the asparagus and a dusting of grated cheese.

Adapted from Duck Fat restaurant

Posted by rv at May 22, 2006 10:21 AM to food