Saturday, September 22, 2007

The Best Gnocchi Ever In Existence


As I was looking at the pictures I took of the lemon ricotta gnocchi I made, I was drooling again. These gnocchi were so insanely delicious, and I'm not exaggerating at all. I found them on Brilynn's blog Jumbo Empanadas, who got the recipe from Jaden of Jaden's Steamy Kitchen (lots of beautiful food photos).


I've never made gnocchi before even though it's something I love and have been talking about making for a long time. As with other unfamiliar food things, I was scared that I would screw it up. I feared that the dough (usually made with potato, flour and egg, such as in the recipe on 101 Cookbooks that I want to try) would be dry or crumbly or the gnocchi would be gummy once cooked. Not so with the lemon ricotta gnocchi. They were so easy to make, full of flavour and so tender - the perfect gnocchi texture.

Typically gnocchi seems to be boiled, but I definitely think that pan fried is the most delicious way to eat it. Perhaps especially with this particular gnocchi since it's so tender on the inside, and then you have that bit of nice hard exterior. I had never thought about pan frying gnocchi until I had it in a restaurant a couple of years ago and after that I was hooked.


Pan-Fried Lemon-Ricotta Gnocchi
(Adapted from Jaden's Steamy Kitchen)

1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (plus extra reserved for garnishing)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon zest (plus extra reserved for garnishing)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (plus extra reserved for garnishing)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Combine ricotta, parmesan, yolk, zest, parsley and salt in large bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle half of the flour on the mixture, gently turn with spatula a few times to incorporate. Dump mixture on clean, lightly floured countertop. Sprinkle remaining flour on top of the mixture. Gently knead with your fingertips, just bringing together the mixture until flour is incorporated through. This only should take a minute or two. Any longer and you will be over-kneading. (If you are using skim milk ricotta - you may have to use more flour, as there is more water content in skim ricotta.)

2. Divide dough into 4 parts. Take one part and roll into a long, 1" diameter log. Cut gnocchi into 1" pieces.

3. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil. when butter is just lightly browned, add gnocchi in single layer. Fry on one side for 2 minutes, flip. Fry other side for 1-2 minutes. Timing really depends on how big/thick your gnocchi is. Do a taste test - do you taste flour? Not done yet. Serve with a sprinkling of lemon zest, parmesan and parsley.

20 comments:

Deborah said...

I have seen these on both blogs, and now you've made them! Since there are so many raves, I must make them! I've never made gnocchi before either, and have been intimidated by it, but these sound fantastic!

Katie Zeller said...

They do sound rather indecently good! I've never heard of pan-frying gnocchi, either.
I am intrigued...I think I have to make these...

SteamyKitchen said...

Beautiful! Now I am craving gnocchi.

xoxo
jaden

javagirlkt's cookin' said...

Wow, I drooled when I saw your picture too! This looks amazing.
I'm definitely going to give this one a try, I love gnocchi.

Anh said...

You remind me that I NEED to try this recipe!

Brownbird Rudy Relic said...

This. Looks. Amazing!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Pan frying gnocchi is such a great idea. These tender little morsels are jumping out at me through the screen. They look so tempting!

Brilynn said...

Yours looks awesome too! This is such a good recipe, I need to make it again.

Anonymous said...

These look pretty awesome. I'm always impressed when a person whips up their pasta from scratch!

Anonymous said...

Those looks good and delicious.

Actually before I made gnocchi (the ones that are made with potato and eggs), I thought it would be very difficult to make but it wasn't. I was surprised how easy it is to do it and it turned out super delicious. After making it, I never want to eat those industrial made anymore. Here, read my gnocchni experience.

Unknown said...

I'd never had Gnocchi before, but I made these this evening - and boy were they good!

Absolutely delicious, a really nice, mild but not bland flavour, with a crisp outer shell.

I actually cut them rather smaller, more like 1cm in length, but this worked rather nicely, and they were definitely delicious. :D

eatme_delicious said...

deborah: Yes you must make them, they're delicious!

katiez: I loved gnocchi when I had only tried it boiled, but once you start pan frying it, it really makes it so much more delicious!

steamykitchen: Thanks, and thanks for posting this wonderful recipe!

javagirlkt: Aw haha thank you. Hope you like the gnocchi!

anh: Yes you do! I will look out for it on your blog.

brownbird: Thank you. :)

valli: I'm glad my gnocchi can tempt you! :)

brilynn: Thank you. :) I need to make it again too!

destiny: Thank you. :) I want to try making other pasta from scratch too. I think these are the easiest though since you don't really need to roll them out.

cooking ninja: Thank you! I definitely need to try making the original potato kind of gnocchi. Yours look really amazing too!

conrad: I'm happy you enjoyed them! Cutting them smaller would be good too because then you get more, and more crispy pieces! Yum.

Aunt Angie said...

sounds oh so yummy! I have never had this but heard of it on one of the shows on FoodNetwork. I will have to try this!

eatme_delicious said...

angie: Yes you must try gnocchi! It's very addictive. :)

Archana Doshi said...

This is looking so addictive, just like you said. I have to try this. You have some wonderful recioes in your site. I have subscribed to it, to make sure i dont miss out on anything.
Thanks once again. I am constantly looking to learn some new cuisines and your has some wonderful recipes.
Archana
http://www.archanaskitchen.com/

cindy said...

i have tried gnocchi a couple times...this one sounds really great too. i tried some sweet potato ones from susan of food blogga site, and those were really good too!

LisaRene said...

I had to run over and check these out - they DO look exceptionally delicious pan fried! I can just imagine the nice crunchy exterior and the soft tender interior, yum! With their crispy exterior you could serve a couple on a skewer as an appetizer with a dipping sauce. You know how I like my appetizers :)

Anonymous said...

I never have seen gnocchi in this manner, really intriguing! Have bookmarked to try!! :)

dmuragijimana said...

I am on a gnocchi obsession at the moment, and this is recipe is the new one on my collection. Can't wait to try it

Unknown said...

Yummy! I'll be sure to try this!