Ricotta Gnocchi with Arugula Pesto and Spring Vegetables
Chef Nick Sherman—who runs both Trestles and Cavalletta—adapts his gnocchi dishes to whatever vegetables are in season.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Ricotta gnocchi (recipe follows)
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Pinch of chili flakes, or more if you like spicy (optional)
- 1 cup English peas, blanched and cooled
- 2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch sticks, blanched and cooled
- 1−1½ cups vegetable stock or water
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Arugula pesto (recipe follows)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish (optional)
- 4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, for garnish
- Shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, for garnish
FOR THE RICOTTA GNOCCHI
- 2 pounds dry ricotta (it typically comes in 15-ounce containers, so get 3 and weigh out 2 pounds)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾−1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons salt
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
FOR THE ARUGULA PESTO
- 3 light handfuls arugula
- 2 light handfuls spinach
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
- Zest of 2 lemons
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large nonstick sauté pan, add the EVOO and bring up to medium heat until hot. Add the gnocchi and cook until caramelized on one side.
- Flip the gnocchi, add the sliced garlic and cook until the other side is caramelized. Add the chili flakes, peas, asparagus, half of the vegetable stock or water and butter.
- Lower the heat and reduce the sauce slowly without cooking all the stock or water out so the butter stays creamy.
- Add the Parmesan and the pesto and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. If the sauce is too thick, add more of the vegetable stock to desired consistency.
- Place in a bowl for serving and garnish with cherry tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. You can also top with some freshly shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of EVOO, if desired. Serves 6−8.
FOR THE RICOTTA GNOCCHI
- In a large bowl, beat eggs then add the ricotta and mix well. Add ¾ cup flour, nutmeg and half the salt. Combine well.
- If too sticky, add the remaining ¼ cup flour. Check for seasoning and add up to another tablespoon of salt if needed.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface with your hands into a cylinder shape about the height of a quarter. Cut into 1-inch pieces with a sharp knife.
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add half of the pieces of gnocchi and blanch for 2 minutes or until they float to the surface. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon or strainer and place in a container to cool. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.
- Let cool down at room temperature, then toss in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and refrigerate until ready for use.
FOR THE ARUGULA PESTO
- In a pot of boiling water, blanch the arugula and spinach until tender, about 1 minute. Immediately remove from water with a slotted spoon or strainer and place greens in an ice bath until cold.
- Squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and arugula into a bowl, and save it in case the blender needs more liquid to blend. Place all the pesto ingredients in the blender and process until it’s a smooth paste. If the blender does not get it fully puréed, slowly add more of the cold water until it binds.
Notes
TIPS & TRICKS:
Use really dry ricotta in this recipe, similar to the texture of goat cheese. If your ricotta is not dry enough, line a strainer with cheesecloth and add the cheese. Wrap the cheesecloth over the top and put some weight on it. Place in the fridge overnight to drain.
We make our own ricotta for this dish but you can use Bellwether Farms ricotta, which is a good brand.
The reason we use some water in the pesto is so we have a brighter, cleaner flavor, much lighter on the palate than a super oily, traditional pesto.
It’s important to use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano for this recipe. Other kinds of Parmesan will not melt into the sauce properly.