L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019 To add some crunchiness to your gnocchi, toast them a little into a pan before dressing them with yur herb butter @ Michele Becci LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES MICHELE BECCI Continued to page 32 W e e k e n d p r o j e c t : s w e e t p o t a t o a n d ricotta gnocchi M y Sicilian mother was a pasta-mak- ing queen and one of her spe- cialties was her gnocchi. Dad would patiently drive dishes of homemade gnoc- chi all over the neighborhood as Mom turned them out from her little kitchen. I have such happy memories of standing on a kitchen chair next to my older brother, rolling out the long ropes between my little palms. Mom patiently taught us how to use our thumb to indent the gnocchi to make a little pocket for her deli- cious sauce to fill. Making gnocchi at home can be a fun, simple weekend project and is sure to impress your family and guests when made with col- orful sweet potatoes. These soft, pillowy gnocchi are easy to make – the dough comes together quickly and rolling out the long strands of pasta can be very ther- apeutic on a chilly winter's day. I have paired the gnocchi with a simple herb browned butter sauce. The brown butter's nutty aroma wonderfully matches the sweetness of the potatoes. Toast- ing the gnocchi in a pan before adding them to the sauce gives these little pillows a wonderful crispiness. These are also great for a dinner party as you can make and cook the gnocchi in ad- vance and then just crisp them up at the last minute, finishing them in the sauce and topping with a dusting of fresh herbs. Super easy and super tasty! Buon appetito, Michele Sweet potato and ricotta gnocchi Serves 6 Ingredients: For the gnocchi: • 2 (1 pound) sweet potatoes; washed, dried • 1 cup whole milk ricotta • ½ cup grated Parmesan • ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour For the brown butter wine herb sauce: • 2 sticks unsalted butter • ½ cup dry white wine • About 4 tablespoons fresh herbs of choice (thyme leaves, chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh sage) • Kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • Additional fresh herbs for garnish Directions: Make the gnocchi: You can either microwave or bake the potatoes. Pierce them all over with a fork. To microwave, place the sweet potatoes on a dish and microwave until tender. To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sweet pota- toes on a foil lined sheet pan and bake until tender, about 45 min- utes. Once cooked, cut the pota- toes in half and allow to cool. Scrape the flesh into a large bowl and finely mash. Add in the ri- cotta cheese and mix well. Add in the Parmesan, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Add in 2 cups of flour and mix well. If the dough is too sticky, continuing adding flour, ¼ cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and dust with flour. Generously flour a work surface. Turn the dough out on the surface and form into a disk. These gnocchi are great for dinner parties because you can make them in advance and they also cook very quickly© Victor Bouchard | Dreamstime.com

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