Ricotta Dumplings With Red Pepper Sauce Recipes

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH RED PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the sauce, place the red pepper chunks and tomato in a saucepan with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low, cover and boil gently for 10 minutes. Push the mixture through a food mill.
• Return the pureed mixture to the saucepan, and stir in the salt, pepper and dissolved cornstarch. Bring to a boil, add the butter and oil and emulsify with a hand blender for about 15 seconds. Keep the sauce warm while making the dumplings.
• For the dumplings, bring 3 quarts of water to a simmer in a pot. Meanwhile, place the ricotta, salt, pepper, eggs, Parmesan and flour in the bowl of a food processor, and process at maximum speed for 10 seconds. Transfer the dumpling batter to a bowl, and mix in the chives.
• Make the dumplings in two batches, dropping the batter, one tablespoon at a time, as quickly as possible into the hot water. Let the dumplings cook just below the boil, at a low simmer, for 10 minutes. (The dumplings will rise to the top of the water and float as they cook.)
• After 10 minutes, lift the dumplings with a slotted spoon, drain well, arrange on a platter and keep warm while making the rest of the dumplings. When the second batch is cooked, add them to the platter or divide all the dumplings among individual plates. Spoon on the warm red pepper sauce, and serve with a few sprinklings of Parmesan.

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and lemon juice and sauté until mushrooms are brown, about 6 minutes. Add dry vermouth. Boil 3 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Set aside. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Blend ricotta, yolks and 1 tablespoon Parmesan in processor. Add flour and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into ricotta mixture in 2 additions. Fold in breadcrumbs.
• Pour water into heavy large skillet to depth of 2 inches. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons into water. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Turn dumplings over, cover pan and cook 3 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to paper towels and drain.
• Bring mushroom sauce to simmer. Add 6 tablespoons butter and stir just until melted. Place dumplings on platter and spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan and chives.

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine tomato sauce, water and basil in saucepan; simmer in a deep frying pan about 10-15 minutes.
• In the mean time gently mix together ricotta, romano cheese, egg, bread crumbs and parsley to form into balls about the size of golf balls.
• Drop balls into simmering sauce Cover and cook about 20 minutes.
• Serve over the pasta of your choice with additional grated cheese.

FRIED RICOTTA AND MOZZARELLA DUMPLINGS WITH BROCCOLI SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook broccoli in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain well. Return water in saucepan to boil. Add potato; cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Transfer broccoli to food processor and blend well. Add potato and process to puree. Add 1/2 cup broth and blend well. With machine running, gradually blend in extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHAED: Broccoli sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Using electric mixer, beat ricotta in large bowl until smooth. Beat in mozzarella. Form mixture into 6 rectangular dumplings, each about 3 1/2 x 2 x 3/4 inches. Place on baking sheet; cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
• Pour enough olive oil into very large skillet to reach depth of 3/4 inch. Heat oil to 350°F. Whisk 1 1/2 cups water, yolk, and pinch of salt in large bowl; whisk in 3/4 cup flour. Set batter aside. Place remaining 1 cup flour in medium bowl. Coat each dumpling in flour, turning to coat. Dip into batter, then fry until very pale golden, about 3 minutes per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Bring broccoli sauce to simmer in medium saucepan, thinning with more vegetable broth if necessary.
• Spoon 1/3 cup sauce into center of each of 6 plates; spread with back of spoon into round. Top each with 1 dumpling.

SWEET RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE - CANEDERLI

Steps:

• Put the cut strawberries in the saucepan (or cut them right into it), pour the sugar and lemon juice over, and toss together. Set the pan over medium-low heat; stir occasionally as the berries release juice and it gradually starts to bubble. Adjust the heat to keep the juice simmering, and cook for about 8 minutes, until the berries are soft and the juice is slightly syrupy. Turn off the heat, and cover the pot to keep the sauce warm.
• Meanwhile, fill the big pot with about 6 quarts water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and heat it to a boil. Put the butter in the big skillet and melt it over very low heat; turn off the flame, but leave the skillet on the warm burner.
• For the dough: Dump the ricotta into a large bowl, and stir to loosen it and break up lumps, then blend in the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle all the flour on top, and fold it in gently, just until it is all incorporated, with no small clumps of dry flour. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky.
• Adjust the heat so the cooking water is bubbling gently. Fill a glass or jar with cold water to moisten the scoop, so the dough doesn't stick. Dip the ice-cream scoop into the water glass, scoop up a round of dough, level it off (scraping excess back in the bowl), and dispense the dumpling into the cooking pot. Scoop up all the dough in the same way, and get the dumplings cooked as quickly as possible. If you don't have an ice-cream scoop, use a 1/4-cup measure. Empty each portion into your hand (both hands must be lightly floured!), and quickly roll it into a ball, then drop the dumpling into the pot.
• As you form the canederli, keep the scoop moistened (or your hands floured) and the water at a gentle simmer: don't let it boil vigorously, which can break apart the canederli.
• After all are in the pot, let the dumplings cook, without stirring, until all have risen to the surface of the water. Simmer them another 5 minutes, and then scoop one out and test it for doneness. First, press it gently: it should feel solid and spring back to the touch. If it feels soft at the center, return it to the pot and cook the batch a minute or two longer. Scoop out another dumpling, and cut into it to check that the center is not wet and oozing and that the dough looks uniformly cooked through.
• Meanwhile, have the big skillet with melted butter warming over very low heat. Lift out the cooked dumplings with a spider, let them drain over the pot for a few seconds, then gently drop them in the skillet. Roll the dumplings gently so they're coated all over with butter, then turn off the heat and leave them in the warm pan for a few minutes to firm up.
• Serve the canederli on warm dessert plates, spooning a pool of strawberry sauce in the center of each plate and setting two or three canederli on top. For family-style serving, arrange the canederli in a large, rimmed platter and drizzle some of the strawberry sauce around them in a colorful border. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.