These little doughy morsels are proper comfort food.
Into the Sauce’s Ricotta Gnocchi With Zucchini, Corn, and Pine Nuts
These little doughy morsels are proper comfort food.
Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favorite home cooks. For this instalment, Tori Falzon of Into the Sauce shares her recipe for ricotta gnocchi with zucchini, corn, and pine nuts.
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One of the most popular recipes in our Put On a Spread series is Tori's delicious Pea and Ricotta Pasta with Parmesan Breadcrumbs. And much to our – and our followers' – delight, she has come to us with another tantalising pasta dish – ricotta gnocchi with zucchini, corn, and pine nuts.
For this recipe, Tori substitutes the traditional potato with ricotta which means there's less prep/cooking time and the gnocchi has a lighter, creamier texture. Paired with a medley of summer vegetables and plenty of lemony goodness this fresh dish will go down a treat at any lunch or dinner party or make for a spectacular midweek meal.
With creamy gnocchi pillows, tangy parmesan, crunchy pine nuts, and a bounty of fresh vegetables, this dish is perfectly balanced and sure to delight.
Recreate this look with our Turmeric, Terracotta, & Oatmeal Table Bundle.
Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
- 400g firm ricotta cheese (I like La Casa Del Formaggio)
- 40g Parmesan, finely grated (Grana Padano or Pamigiano Reggiano)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1½ tsp salt flakes
- 125g plain flour
For the sauce:
- 50g pine nuts
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 zucchini, sliced into 5mm rounds
- 2 cobs of corn, kernels removed from cob
- 2 shavings of lemon rind
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or chopped
- 25g butter
- ½ cup basil leaves
- Lemon juice, to taste
- Grana Padano or Pamigiano Reggiano, to serve
Method
- Spread ricotta between a couple of layers of paper towel on the bottom and top and gently press to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Prepare a large pot of salted, boiling water for your gnocchi.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, egg yolks, and salt flakes.
- Very gently incorporate the flour until combined. You may need to add a little more if your ricotta has a higher moisture content – the dough should be soft, light and workable (not too sticky).
- Cut dough into two pieces and roll each piece out onto a floured surface one by one, then cut into gnocchi pieces using a bench scraper or knife. I like to shape my rolls into around 2cm diameter and then cut the pieces in 2cm lengths, making 2cm pillows. Place them on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper on a tray that you can lift up and use to slide them straight into the boiling water.
- In a large pot, add pine nuts and a dash of olive oil and cook until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat and fry zucchini until it starts to go golden, stirring often.
- Add corn, lemon rind, and garlic and cook until the corn is vibrant and tender.
- Take off the heat and let sit for a couple of minutes to drop in temperature.
- Stir through butter and basil leaves, then gradually add parmesan while stirring (gradually to make sure it emulsifies with the sauce rather than clumping up).
- Meanwhile, gently lower gnocchi into boiling salted water, reserving 1 cup of pasta water and straining off the gnocchi using a slotted spoon when they float to the top. If you don’t want to use the gnocchi immediately, place them into a bowl of iced water to cool, then strain and toss with oil to prevent sticking together and store in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Toss gnocchi and pine nuts through the sauce, season and add a good squeeze of lemon juice, to taste.
For more from Tori, follow her at @intothesauce
