Daring Cooks Debut – Ricotta Gnocchi

I have started and deleted and started and deleted this post so many times that I am starting to feel defeated by it.  I am literally at a loss for words (the cheering in the background is my husband) and I need to come up with something NOW.

You see, I have a deadline.  This post is part of something bigger than just my little (mostly) Italian food blog, it is part of the very first Daring Cooks Challenge.

It is not only the debut of the Daring Cooks challenges but also my debut in the Daring club.

Many of you will have already heard of the Daring Bakers, heck, some of you may even BE Daring Bakers!

Well the great Daring Founders Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice have taken things one step farther and created The Daring Kitchen which is the new home for the Daring Bakers and home to the new Daring Cooks.

Guess who joined!!!  I have always admired the Daring Bakers and their beautiful challenges so when I saw that there was a new group forming I decided to jump in.

How does it work?  Well, quite simply once a month the members will prepare a dish, the same dish and then post about it on the same day.  Every month a different member will host and select a recipe and every month everyone will tackle that recipe and share their experiences on their blogs.

For the first ever Daring Cooks Challenge, our hosts, Lisa and Ivonne have chosen a recipe from a cookbook by Judy Rodgers called The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

For the gnocchi: (measurements slightly different due to packaging differences in Italy

450 gr ricotta
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
15 gr unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional – in fact I didn’t use any of these, I’ll explain why later)
15 gr Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
5 gr salt
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

Step 1 Draining the ricotta

The day before making the actual gnocchi I let the ricotta drain overnight in the fridge to eliminate as much moisture as possible.

Step 2 Making the batter, forming the gnocchi and dusting them with flour

I mashed the ricotta with a fork until smooth then added the lightly beaten eggs.

I melted the butter and added it to the ricotta and egg mixture.

At this point I would have added in any flavouring (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.) had I used any but because of my choice of sauces I decided against it.

I added the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Using a whisk (I was afraid an electric beater would be too much and the mixture wouldn’t hold up to it) I whisked all the ingredients together until the batter was fluffy and soft and mixed very well.

I had a small pot of boiling, salted water standing by to test my first gnocchi to make sure it wasn’t too damp and wouldn’t fall apart,

In a large pie dish (I used it because it was shallow and small enough to get the job done without using too much flour) I created a bed of flour to dust the gnocchi with.

I used two teaspoons to scoop up the batter and form the gnocchi before placing them in the flour and coating them with it, trying all the while to keep a nice oval shape.

Once I had tested my batter and was satisfied with the result I went on to form all my gnocchi, half of which I froze for future use.

The Sauces:

The original recipe called for a sage and butter sauce but I wanted to do something a little different and because I live where I do, I decided to reproduce the Italian flag with my gnocchi!

The green field of the flag is represented here with a light pesto sauce.

The white field is represented by a simple butter and parmigiano sauce with a twist.

I used 10 gr of white truffle butter, melted it in a frying pan with some minced garlic and tossed in the ricotta so that it could absorb the flavour and just before removing them from the pan I sprinkled them with a generous dose of parmigiano.

Last but not least is the red field. A couple of crushed plum tomatoes, olive oil and guanciale, cooked just long enough to cook the meat and I had my very own Tricolore!

Please visit The Daring Cooks website to see what all the other Daring Cooks have been up to!