Ricotta Gnocchi With Asparagus Peas And Morels Food

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH ASPARAGUS, PEAS, AND MORELS

Steps:

• For gnocchi:
• Line a baking dish with 3 layers of paper towels; spoon ricotta onto paper towels and let sit 20 minutes (if the ricotta is too wet, the dough won't hold together).
• Combine ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, and salt in a food processor; season with pepper and process until smooth. Add flour and pulse just to combine (mixture should be smooth and fairly wet). Transfer gnocchi mixture to a pastry bag fitted with 1/2" round tip or a large resealable plastic bag.
• DO AHEAD: Gnocchi mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pastry tip and chill.
• For vegetables and assembly:
• Cook asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using tongs or a mesh strainer, transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool; drain. Slice asparagus on the diagonal into bite-size pieces, leaving tips intact.
• Reduce heat so water is simmering. If using a resealable plastic bag for gnocchi mixture, cut a 1/2" opening in bottom of bag. Working in 3 batches, pipe dough into pot, cutting off 1" lengths with a paring knife and letting dough drop into water. Cook until doubled in size, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook morels, tossing occasionally, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add shallot and cook, tossing occasionally, until shallot and morels are soft, about 5 minutes; set aside.
• Add gnocchi, asparagus, peas, butter, and reserved cooking liquid to skillet with morels. Cook, tossing gently, until vegetables are warm and sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with chives, Parmesan, and lemon zest.

CAVATELLI WITH ASPARAGUS, LEMON AND FRESH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Place the woody stems from the asparagus in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer the pureed asparagus to a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Let the juices drain, 5 to 10 minutes, pressing down lightly on the puree with a wooden spoon occasionally. Reserve the juice and discard the pulp.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the ricotta, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon lemon juice with some salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest and set aside.
• Once the water has boiled, add the cavatelli and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
• Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic, then add the sliced asparagus and saute until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the cavatelli directly into the skillet with the asparagus. Add about half of the asparagus juice and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Add the remaining asparagus juice and the remaining tablespoon lemon juice and cook until the pasta is glossy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with Pecorino-Romano, lemon zest, dollops of the whipped ricotta, basil and black pepper.

ONE-POT PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine the pasta, onions, garlic, asparagus, broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the frozen peas and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to serving bowls and top with dollops of ricotta and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

SHEET-PAN GNOCCHI WITH ASPARAGUS, LEEKS AND PEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss gnocchi with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• On another rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus, leeks and shallots with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
• Put both pans in the oven, with the gnocchi on the bottom rack and the vegetables above. Stir the gnocchi and vegetables after 5 minutes to distribute the butter. Stir the vegetables once or twice more, but leave the gnocchi undisturbed. Roast until vegetables are golden and getting crispy on the edges, about 15 minutes total, and the gnocchi are golden brown on one side, 20 to 25 minutes total. Stir the peas into the vegetables in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Combine the gnocchi and vegetables on one tray, then grate the lemon zest over the top. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan and chives, if using, saving some for serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and chives, and serve immediately.

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH BUTTERED PEAS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Combine ricotta and eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using a large wooden or metal spoon, gently mix in the flour, taking care not to overmix (which could result in tough dumplings).
• Meanwhile, heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks have softened completely and are starting to pick up some color, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add asparagus and peas to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until asparagus is just tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on its thickness. Remove from heat while you cook the dumplings.
• When the water is at a nice steady boil, drop the ricotta mixture into the pot by the heaping spoonful. (The dumplings will expand in the water, so make them slightly smaller than you'd like them to end up.) Be careful not to crowd the pot; cook the dumplings in batches if need be.
• Once the dumplings rise to the top, let them boil until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can always pull one out and cut it in half to test its doneness; the texture will go from dense and doughy to light and pillowy.)
• As the dumplings finish cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the skillet with the peas and asparagus. Once they're all in there, give everything a quick toss over medium heat just to evenly coat the dumplings in the buttery sauce. Add pea shoots and toss just to wilt slightly.
• Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top with parsley, cheese and more olive oil, if you like.

GNOCCHI WITH ASPARAGUS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep warm.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add shallots and asparagus to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; sauté 1 minute.
• Add gnocchi, pancetta, reserved cooking liquid, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Serve with cheese.

GNOCCHI WITH ASPARAGUS & OLIVES IN A CREAMY PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bread Crumb Topping -- Make this first and then just set it off to the side. In a small dry saute pan, add the breadcrumbs and bring to medium high heat. You just want to toast them and they don't take long so keep an eye on them. Make sure to keep stirring them. You could easily make your own bread crumbs for this, but I used store bought Italian seasoned bread crumbs which saved some time. Once the bread crumbs are toasted and golden brown, transfer to a small bowl and mix with the olive oil and parmesan cheese.
• Vegetables -- In a large pot of salted boiling water (on a medium boil), add the asparagus and cook until tender. About 3-5 minutes. It depends on how thick your asparagus is. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to set the color and to stop the cooking. It just needs a minute in the water, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to dry.
• Gnocchi -- Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain well and return to the pot (keep the heat on medium / medium low.
• Finish -- Add the cream, pesto, olives, and onions to the gnocchi and cook another 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through. Check for seasoning and add any additional salt or pepper if needed. Then add in the asparagus, lemon zest and toss lightly.
• Serve -- Transfer to a serving platter and top with the toasted bread crumbs and a scoop of the ricotta cheese. Garnish with the lemon slices from the half of lemon you did not zest. ENJOY!
• Add a fresh cucumber and tomato salad for a nice simple side dish.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH FRESH PEAS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Process ricotta, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a food processor until smooth. Add flour and blend until a smooth, semi-stiff batter forms. Transfer gnocchi batter to a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms in hot oil until soft and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer; stir in peas. Cook until peas are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil.
• Working in batches, drop spoonfuls of ricotta batter into boiling water. Bring water back to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove gnocchi to ice water to stop the cooking process, then drain and reserve. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Combine gnocchi and mushroom sauce in a saucepan and cook until heated through, 2 to 5 minutes.