Chickpea Ricotta Gnocchi Recipes

GLUTEN-FREE CHICKPEA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and salt generously. Tie a piece of butcher's twine tautly from one handle to the other across the center of the pot. Bring the water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Add the chickpea flour and mix until just combined. The dough should be slightly sticky. Do not add any more flour or overwork the dough, as this will make it tough.
• Fit a large pastry bag with a large round tip, about 3/4 inch wide. Alternatively, snip one corner of a large resealable plastic bag with scissors to create a 3/4-inch-wide opening. Fill the pastry bag with the gnocchi dough; set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat until foamy, 2 to 4 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter is light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the sage and cook until the butter is toasty brown (similar in color to graham cracker crumbs) and the sage is crisp, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.
• Holding the pastry bag over the boiling water, lightly squeeze the bag to release a 3/4- to 1-inch piece of dough, then rub it across the string to "cut" it off. Continue until you have made about 15 gnocchi. Cook until they float to the top and are warmed through, 60 to 90 seconds. Do not walk away from the pot or overcook them; the lack of gluten in the chickpea flour makes them very tender, and they will fall apart if boiled for too long. Transfer to a serving bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Continue with the remaining gnocchi dough (you will have about 4 servings).
• Spoon some of the butter and sage mixture over each bowl and serve warm.

CHICKPEA-RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt.
• Meanwhile, place chickpeas into a food processor and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Process until they are as smooth as you can get them. Scoop chickpea mash into a large bowl.
• Add ricotta and nutmeg into the chickpeas, stirring until well combined. Add about 1/4 cup flour and stir until incorporated - add enough extra flour until a dough forms that you can easily handle. Scoop mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for less than a minute. Divide the mixture into 4 pieces and roll each out into a robe that is about 1/2" thick. Cut the ropes into 1" lengths - be gently and try to handle them as little as possible. As you cut them, transfer the pieces to a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.
• Drop about half of the gnocchi into the boiling, salted water - stir gently and allow them to cook until they rise to the surface. Count to 20 and then remove them with a slotted spoon (be sure to taste one to make sure they are cooked through). Repeat with remaining gnocchi.
• Meanwhile, place butter and oil in a skillet and have it heating over medium-high. Add well-drained gnocchi and cook until golden on each side. Serve with fresh grated Asiago cheese on top.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whip the ricotta to break up the curds. Add the egg and stir until evenly combined. Add the grated cheese and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Pour flour onto a large plate or shallow pie dish. As if you were making chocolate chip cookies, use a teaspoon to form oval shape gnocchi and drop into flour. Do not let the formed gnocchi touch each other or they'll stick together.
• Working in batches of six, coat gnocchi lightly with flour by rolling the plate. Dust flour off gnocchi and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat. Refrigerate two hours or until gnocchi are firm. You can refrigerate overnight but fresh gnocchi is best eaten the day it's prepared. Drop gnocchi into salted boiling water. Adjust heat to a simmer. When gnocchi floats to the top and is slightly firm to the touch, about 3-4 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon.
• Serving suggestion: melted butter, peas and sage or a lean pasta topping of your choice, such as tomato sauce with basil and a shaving or two of parmesan cheese.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, slowly bring the milk and the lemon juice to 200 degrees F. Remove from heat and cover. Place in a spot where the temperature will remain uniform (we suggest an unheated oven). After 6 hours, strain the curds and whey through cheesecloth. Tie the corners of the cloth to form a bag and hang it to drain overnight.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
• Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in shredded basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
• To assemble the dish, stir the cubed mozzarella cheese into the sauce and allow the heat of the sauce to soften, but not melt the cheese. Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce overtop.

CHEAT'S RICOTTA GNOCCHI DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the ricotta, Parmesan, flour, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until combined and a sticky dough forms.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Place the ricotta in a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan, egg, parsley, thyme, tarragon and salt and pepper. Stir in the flour. Begin to knead the mixture in the bowl with your hands until it holds together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and, with lightly floured hands, gently knead the dough until smooth and well blended, working in more flour if it is too sticky.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll 1 piece out to a rope about 1/2an inch in diameter. Using a knife, cut the rope into 3/4-inch segments. Hold a fork upright on your work surface with the tines curved toward you. Gently roll 1 segment of dough against the tines to mark it lightly with ridges. Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet and repeat until all the dough is used. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook. The gnocchi will keep, refrigerated, for 1 day.
• To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot 1/4 full of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and stir once very gently. Cook until the gnocchi float, then for 1 minute more (about 4 minutes total). Immediately drain, toss with olive oil and serve as desired.

BAKED GNOCCHI WITH RICOTTA AND MARINARA

Steps:

• Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Divide gnocchi among four 8-ounce shallow baking dishes or place in an 8-inch square baking dish. Season with salt and pepper,then top with dollops of marinara sauce and ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and broil until tops are browned in spots and gnocchi are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating once.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• In a bowl, place the ricotta, grated cheese, egg, and salt; Add 1 cup of the flour and mix.
• Add only as much more flour as you need to create a workable dough. Be careful not to overwork.
• Divide the dough into fist size pieces, and roll into long logs as thick as your thumb; Cut into 1 inch slices and gently place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the dough in this manner; If not using immediately, place in the refrigerator.
• To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a sauce pan and add the garlic cooking only until fragrant - Do not brown; Add the tomatoes, basil, and seasonings and bring to a boil; Turn down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
• To cook the gnocchi, drop into lightly salted water and remove as soon as they float to the top, after 1 or 2 minutes. Place in a warmed bowl, top with some of the tomato sauce and the mozzarella cubes and gently mix; Serve with additional sauce if desired.
• Tip - dry the ingredients as much as you can before using, let your ricotta drain of excess water by placing it in a strainer over a bowl and leaving it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using; this will aid in the ease of preperation of ginocchi.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Put ricotta in a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Whisk in Parmesan and taste. The mixture should be well seasoned. Add eggs and mix well, then sprinkle in 1/4 cup flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. You should have a soft, rather sticky dough. Dump dough onto a clean work surface. Add a little more flour if necessary and pat very lightly to form a soft mass.
• Test the dough: Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Take 1 tablespoon of dough and drop into water. Dough should sink to the bottom, then rise to the surface. Let simmer 1 minute, then remove and taste. If the dumpling keeps its shape, continue to Step 3. If it falls apart, add a little more flour to the dough, but carefully: If you add too much, the gnocchi will be stodgy.
• Dust dough lightly with semolina, then cut it into 4 equal parts. Dust work surface with semolina. With your hands flat, gently roll each piece into a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter and 12 inches long. Keep sprinkling semolina on dough to keep it from sticking to the counter or your hands.
• Using scissors or a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut each log into 12 pieces. Dust bottom of a baking sheet with semolina. Transfer gnocchi with a spatula to baking sheet, leaving space between them so they are not touching. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour (or leave in a cool room).
• To make the parsley pesto, put parsley, garlic, olive oil and butter in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly, then blend to a rough purée. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You should have about 1 cup pesto, more than you need for this recipe. Leftover pesto can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month.
• Place a large pot of well-salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi, working in batches, if necessary. When they bob to the surface, let them cook for about 2 minutes and lift them from the pot with a slotted spoon or spider, transferring gnocchi to a large, wide skillet. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons pesto and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to skillet and swirl pan to coat gnocchi.
• Serve gnocchi in warmed individual shallow soup bowls or a deep, wide platter. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and dust with Parmesan. Pass more grated Parmesan separately.