Ricotta Gnocci
Based on Bon Appetit, May 2005, page 134
Makes 40 gnocci, serves 4

I'm not much of a fan of Bon Appetit, but this recipe is amusing and
seems amenable to wide variations; it's easy and produces surprisingly
light, pillowy gnocci.  It's not traditional as it has no potatoes.
The flavor of the gnocci is fairly mild.  We served it with a browned
butter sauce which included diced kalamata olives, capers and sun
dried tomatoes; next time, don't saute the capers and tomatoes as they
lose their bright flavor.  The amount of butter called for is more
than enough for saucing, with plenty left over; I'm tempted to reduce
it in the recipe but fear it might not coat the gnocci. Between the ricotta and
the butter, it's a bit of a fat-bomb; fresh pesto might be a good sauce.

We didn't have leeks so we used marinated artichokes; they need to be diced
fine else they separate from the gnocci when cooking.  I think you could use a
variety of herbs and such here: very finely diced fresh rosemary or parsley
might provide a contrasting piquancy.

16	oz	Whole milk Ricotta Cheese
1	small	Leek, white and pale green parts, halved lengthwise, sliced thin
1	large	Egg
1/2	C	Parmesan, freshly gated, plus additional for serving
1	tsp	Salt
1/4	tsp	Black Pepper, ground
1/8	tsp	Nutmeg, ground
2/3	C	Flour, all purpose, plus additional for dredging

1/2	C	Butter (1 stick)
2	Tbs	Capers
12		Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
3	Tbs	Sun-dried tomatoes, diced fine

Place Ricotta in double-layer of cheese cloth, twist and strain excess water.
You could let it strain overnight, covered, in the fridge if you plan ahead.

Cook Leek in small pot of boiling slated water until tender, about 7 minutes.
Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Squeeze dry.
I think you could use a herbs or vegetables here, diced small.

Mix Ricotta, Leek, Egg, 1/2 C Parmesan, Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg in bowl.
Stir in 2/3 C Flour.
Cover and chill mixture at least 1 hour and up to one day;
this gives it enough structure to withstand shaping in the next step.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat; dust with Flour.
For each gnocci, shape 1 tablespoon Ricotta mixture into a ball;
a small dishing scoop makes very quick work of this. 
Drop each ball into a tray or bowl filled with dredging flour;
roll and remove each, shaping gently into a ball by jiggling in your palm.
We got 40 gnocci from these ingredients.

Transfer gnocci to baking sheet and keep cool to prevent slumping;
they can be held, covered and chilled, but I think the dusting flour would
be absorbed into the gnocci and begin to stick to the sheet pan.

Boil salted water in large, wide, shallow pan; they won't be so crowded and
they'll be easier to fish out -- they're fairly delicate.
In two separate batches, gently add half the gnocci to the boiling water,
give a stir to make sure they don't stick; when they are near done,
they should rise to the surface.
After about 5 minutes, transfer with a spider to the butter sauce, below.
Repeat with the other half of the gnocci.

While you bring the water to boil and cook the gnocci, melt Butter with the
Olives; you want to brown the butter to develop a nutty taste.
When the gnocci are almost finished cooking, toss the Capers and Tomatoes into
the browning butter to heat through.
Gently transfer the gnocci to the browned Butter, toss very gently to coat.
Add second batch of gnocci, coat, and serve. 

$Id: ricotta_gnocci.txt,v 1.3 2005/04/19 01:38:11 chris Exp $