Homemade pasta can be super overwhelming to make. Not gnocchi, it’s super easy. Anyone can make these delicous Italian dumplings.

There are two kinds of gnocchi, one made with mashed Russet potatoes. The other using whole milk ricotta cheese.

This is my homemade ricotta Gnocchi With Artichoke, Lemon, And Basil.

Below, I’m showing two ways to drain any excess liquid from the ricotta cheese. Either way is perfectly fine.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yields: 2 to 4 servings
Equipment: 1 (6-quart) pot, rimmed baking sheet pan. chef’s knife, large mixing bowl, rubber spatula, Microplane, dinner fork, 1 (12-inch) sautè pan, bench scraper, gnocchi board, mini food processor

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) container of whole milk ricotta, drained really well
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshy ground black pepper
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups of “00” flour
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 (14-ounce) can of quartered arichoke hearts, drained and dried really well
1 lemon zested
3 tablespoons (1 to 2 lemons) of fresh lemon juice
8 fresh basil leaves, julienned
1 cup of freshly ground Percorino Romano cheese, reserve 1/2 cup for serving

Note: There are really two ways to drain the ricotta of any excess liquid. One, is the way I’ve done above. Two, is by using cheesecloth and a mesh sieve placed over a large bowl.

Note: It’s really important to prep all your ingredients first, such as, freshly ground heese, garlic, artichokes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and finely have your pot of water ready to go on the stove.

Directions For Draining The Excess Liquid:
Using a rubber spatula, and a large plate double lined with paper towel, transfer the ricotta onto the paper towel lined plate. Cover with 2 more pieces of paper towel. Gently press down on the paper towel over the ricotta. This will help with the draining process. Set aside for 30 minutes allowing as much liquid as possible to drain from the ricotta. Reference picture above.

Gnocchi Directions Continued…
In a mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup of the flour, the ricotta, 1/2 cup of freshly ground Pecorino, salt, and egg yolks, mix to just combine. Dust your work surface with 1/2 cup of the flour. Scoot a 1/4 cup of the flour into a pile, set to the side. Dump the ricotta mixture onto the floured surface forming the mixture into a rectangle shape. Move the dough/ricotta mixture to the side. Using a bench scraper, cut approximately (refer to the picture above) 1 cup of the mixture off from the dough/ricotta mixture. Roll the ricotta mixture into 1/2-inch thick ropes. Again, using the bench scraper (or knife), cut the ropes into 1/2-inch pieces.

How To Make Ridges In The Gnocchi:
This is totally optional. I’m using a “gnocchi board” to make ridges in the pasta. This will help the sauce cling to the gnocchi. After I’ve cut the gnocchi, I roll each one on the board to make ridges in the pasta. You really need to work quickly here because you do not want the gnocchi to start to get a “gummy’ texture.  Transfer the gnocchi to a rimmed baking sheet pan, freeze until ready to use.

Using a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, cook until fragrent, 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, stirring frequently, cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice and black pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and add 2 tablespoon of butter, stir until butter is completely combined. Next, add 1/2 of the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, stir to thicken the sauce.

In a large (6-quart) pot of boiling salted water, drop in the gnocchi. As soon as the gnocchi begins to float, remove them using a spider (or slotted spoon) and add to the sauce. Finish by adding the fresh julienned basil to the pan, stir to combine.

To serve, add a good helping, of the gnocchil, to a porcelain serving bowl. Sprinkle each serving evenly with the remaining Pecorino cheese. Serve hot.

There you have it, my Gnocchi With Artichoke, Lemon, And Basil.

Note: This is a very simple dish so it requires the best quality ingredients you can find for the best result.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2015/08/29/gnocchi-with-italian-sausage-and-porcini-ragu/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/