Pasta Class 5 - Ricotta Gnocchi and Pezzoccheri

Ricotta Gnocchi
A very delicate type of gnocchi made from flour and ricotta - no potatoes. - it has the texture of matzah balls.

• 450 g Buffalo Ricotta, drained
• 85 g all-purpose Flour
• 2 large Eggs
  
• 3 sprigs Sage
• 120g Sweet Butter
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Truffle Oil
• Nutmeg, Salt, Pepper

Mix together the drained ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Now add the flour, folding it in until just combined - you want to keep it soft and fluffy, not doughy. Adjust with flour if the ricotta is not completely dry.

Shape the mixture into quenelles (small little 3-sided footballs) using two evenly sized spoons. This mixture is too delicate for making traditional gnocchi. Place the quenelles onto a floured baking sheet, then freeze. Transfer frozen quenelles into a bag and store in the freezer.

Cook the quenelles in salted boiling water for 5-7 minutes until they float.

Sage Butter: Gently fry the sage in the butter in a large frying pan. Add the gnocchi, salt, and pepper. Toss and serve with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Alternate Sauces: These light airy gnocchi can be served with any herb butter, white truffle paste/ oil, tomato sauce, or gold sauce (gold being copious amounts of butter emulsified in tomato sauce).

Pizzoccheri

This rustic, hearty dish of Lombardy is named after the pasta - a ribbon-like buckwheat noodle. Traditionally, it's made with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat, but that ratio is reversed in this recipe.

Buckwheat Pasta:

• 340 g all-purpose Wheat Flour
• 120 g Buckwheat Flour
• 3 to 4 Eggs
• 90 ml Milk

Garnish/ Toppings:

• 250 g Yukon Potato, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss Chard
• 120 g Grated Fontina d'Aosta
• 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 100 g Unstalted Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs Sage, chopped finely

Prepare the Pasta: Mix the dough and knead until smooth. Rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. Roll out into thick sheets (thickness 3 or 4 out of 10, 10 being thinnest), and slice into ribbons (1/2" x 4") with a pizza cutter. Toss with flour, and set aside to dry.

Cut the Swiss Chard: Cut the bulky stems from the bottom, and remove the stem from the middle of the leaves. Chop the stem segments into chunks, half the leafs again; keep leaves and stems separate.

In a large stockpot with boiling salted water, begin by cooking the potatoes. When partially cooked, add the Swiss Chard stems (-7 minutes), then the pasta (-5 minutes), then finally the Swiss Chard leaves (-2 minutes). Drain the whole pot once the leaves have wilted.

In the dry pot, melt butter with garlic and sage to infuse (5 minutes).

Mix the pasta/ potato/ chard with the cheeses and infused butter, place into a casserole dish, and bake at 350F just long enough to melt the cheese.