Ricotta Gnocchi...Tiny Pillows Of Delight

Of all the things essential to a pregnant woman...comfortable pants...a constant IV of Chunky Monkey ice cream...the right to demand foot rubs on the subway, I would say lots of pillows lead the list of "must haves." Ask any lady who's growing a human inside of her and she'll likely concur. She may even mention the wondrous body pillow, taking on the tone of a twelve-year-old with her first crush. "Like, oh my GAWD. I, like, just LOVE BODY PILLOW SO MUCH! I'm, like, NEVER gonna feel like this again, like EVER!"

This woman is using 2 body pillows. A lit-tle slutty if you ask me.

I decided to take this pillow concept and put it on my plate in the form of everyone's favorite Italian pillow food, the gnocchi. In the September issue of Cooks Illustrated, Sandra Wu introduces the concept of Ricotta Gnocchi, also known as malfatti or gnudi. Since my borderline gestational diabetes limits the amount of carbs I can have, this high-protein alternative to potato gnocchi was as appealing as sleeping with 3 Body Pillows. (I'm such a tramp.) Naturally she goes down the Cooks Illustrated road of trying various methods until she achieves just the right combination of ingredients and technique. I followed her recipe, mixing the dough...


Letting it sit in the fridge, then rolling out ropes and cutting them into bite-sized pieces...


Finally I put the little fellas into simmering water until they floated to the top. I tossed them with a light tomato cream sauce. I ended up with this plate of perfection.

The green stuff is shredded zucchini, courtesy of another Cooks Illustrated recipe.

Each bite was like being put in a soft white bed with a huge, down-filled duvet and lots of big, puffy pillows. They were so gentle in my mouth, so billowy and light, I barely had to chew. The flavors melted down beautifully, creamy ricotta, toasty breadcrumbs, a touch of sprightly herbs. The acidic tomato sauce complemented the richness, but a butter sage sauce would be just as good.

Though the recipe is pretty foolproof and not difficult, it's time-consuming, for sure. This is a day-off or weekend dish. Guaranteed to elicit a groan or two, it's perfect fare for an evening spent in, just you and your Body Pillow, going off to dreamy places together while floating on clouds of Italian goodness.

Sandra Wu's Riccota Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce
(Cooks Illustrated, September 2007)
Serves 2 or 3 as main course or 4-6 as first course

Gnocchi
1 15-16 oz container whole milk ricotta (recommended: Calabro brand)
2 large slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 large egg
2 TBL each of minced basil and parsley
Table salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
6 TBL all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Line a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl with 3 coffee filters or a triple layer of paper towels. Place ricotta in lined strainer, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 300 degrees. Process bread in a food processor until finely ground. Spread crumbs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, abut 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. (It should make about 1/2 cup of crumbs.)

Transfer drained ricotta to food processor and pulse until curds break down to fine, grainy consistency, about eight 1-second pulses. Using a rubber spatula, combine ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper in large bowl. Add flour, Parm and bread crumbs. Stir until well combined. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes. Check texture of dough. If it feels too wet, add more flour a TBL at a time.

Lightly dust work surface with flour. With floured hands, roll a lemon-sized piece of dough into a 3/4" rope, rolling from center of dough outward Cut rope in 3/4"-long pieces and transfer to parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, dusting work surface with flour as needed.

Start to bring 4 quarts of water with 1 TBL table salt to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. While the water is getting hot, make the tomato sauce. (recipe following)

Once water is boiling, reduce heat so it's simmering, then gently drop half of the gnocchi into water and cook until all pieces float to surface. Continue to simmer until gnocchi are cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Using slotted spoon, scoop gnocchi from water, allowing excess water to drain. Transfer the gnocchi to the skillet with the sauce and cover to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of gnocchi. Using rubber spatula, gently toss gnocchi with sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

Tomato-Cream Sauce
1 TBL extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, pureed in food processor until smooth
pinch of salt and sugar
2 TBL basil leaves, minced
2 TBL heavy cream (NOTE: I used half-and-half. Good, but cream would've been better.)

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar, simmer until thickened slightly, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and cream. Cover to keep warm.