Ricotta Gnocchi with Pesto Cream

The Sasko Flour folks asked me to come up with a new range of exciting recipes and I'm seriously in love with the first one: Ricotta Gnocchi. It's better known as 'cheats gnocchi' because is pretty damn easy - you don't have to worry about getting a sticky or gloopy consistency in the same way you do when making potato gnocchi, in fact there's no really in it risk at all.

Yum yum...


Ricotta Gnocchi with Pesto Cream 

Ingredients: (serves 3-4)
400g Ricotta cheese
50g Parmesan (finely grated)
2 Extra large eggs (whisked)
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
120g Sasko Cake flour (plus extra for dusting)

Sauce:
2tbsp Butter
2tbsp Sasko Cake flour
250ml Milk
250ml Cream
pinch Salt
pinch Pepper
50g Basil pesto

Method:
Place the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, mix until well combined.
Add the flour and mix gently with your hands until your have a ball of gnocchi dough.
Split into four pieces.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece into a long rope about 3cm thick.
Cut each rope into 2cm pieces.
Set aside and make the sauce:
Put a heavy-based saucepan on medium heat and add the butter.
Once the butter has melted, add the flour and stir with a whisk until combined.
Continue cooking for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to ensure the flour cooks through or you will end up with the taste of raw flour in your sauce.
Add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Add the salt, pepper, cream and pesto and continue to whisk until heated through and thickened. Set aside. (If the sauce is a little too thick for your liking – simply add a dash more milk and whisk over the stove to heat through.)

Bring a large bowl of salted water to the boil then add half the gnocchi and allow to cook until they float to the surface (2-3 min), then remove and place in a large serving dish. Repeat with the second batch.
Pour over the sauce and stir gently to coat.
Serve with a simple salad.

Tip 1: You can freeze your gnocchi – But you must ensure that it is all lightly coated with flour and that you spread it over a baking tray and freeze it on the tray so that it doesn’t stick together – once frozen, you can transfer it to a Tupperware or freezer bag. It will keep for 1 month. You can boil the gnocchi from frozen, you don’t need to defrost it.
Tip 2: The more moisture in your ricotta, the more flour you will need for the dough, if you buy ricotta in water, allow it to drain in a sieve for 15 minutes before using, but if you buy it vacuum packed this will not be necessary.
Tip 3: When you add the flour to the ricotta mixture don’t over mix, you just want it to come together as a workable dough – the more you work it, the more flour you will need to add and the tougher the texture will be once cooked.