Tuesday 4 May 2010

Thigh Slap!


This is my post to alleviate my guilt factor turned up to ten.

If I've not replied to your comment, I promise I have good intentions, but with parenting, wifeing, working, houseworking, and thigh slapping, I hardly have any time to floss my teeth let alone reply to all emails. But if you have your email as the reply thing, then I can easily flick you an email and you won't feel unloved. I do read and enjoy every single comment (unless you're calling me an ugly old troll and then I just hit delete because I HAVE THE POWER!). My inbox it runneth over. I am doing my best to clear the backlog but sometimes my best is not good enough! (which movie, which movie??)

Secondly, ricotta gnocchi recipe. I was meant to email it, I never did. I am sorry! Here it is. Print it, roll around on it, do anything you want to it. It's out there and I've done it. Sorry it wasn't sooner!

Ricotta Gnocchi

500g good quality ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
100g plain (all-purpose) flour
1 quantity tomato pesto (will type up in a minute too!)
butter & grated parmesan cheese to serve

If you are serving these with tomato pesto, make sure it is ready before you cook the gnocchi.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. With lightly floured hands, roll out the dough into thin sausages (about 1.5cm thick). Try to avoid adding extra flour or your gnocchi will be tough. Cut with a sharp knife into little dumplings about 2cm long.

Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook for about 45 seconds until they float to the surface. As they bob up, lift them out with a slotted spoon and put them into warm serving bowls. If you need to, stir a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water through the pesto to give a good coating consistency, and spoon a dollop over each serve. Add a little butter and grated parmesan and serve at once.

Serves 4.

Tomato Pesto

100ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
400g tinned diced tomatoes
25g basil leaves, torn
3 tablespoons pine nuts
30g parmesane cheese, grated

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan with one of the garlic cloves. When it sizzles, add the tomato and season with salt. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the tomato thickens and becomes smooth, curhsing it up with a wooden spoon from time to time.

Finely chop the other garlic clove and put it in a small processor or blender with the basil leaves and pine nuts. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the remaining olive oil and the parmesan and pulse just long enough to combine. Stire into the tomato sauce and heat for about 20-30 seconds. Fish out the whole garlic clove before serving.
Note: if you are making the tomato pesto in advance, keep the pesto separate and add to the heated tomato sauce just before serving.

Serves 4.
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Both recipes are from Tessa Kiros' 'Apples for Jam'.

That is all on my guilt list. For now.

3 comments:

Kate Moore said...

If you're making the gnocchi, you've way too much time on your hands. I buy the damn stuff. I made it once, with my Italian Godmother - of sorts - and that was enough.

suzy said...

Gosh that sounds delicious and I think I will have to go and look in the pantry and see if I have those ingredients.
Beats boring old veg and rissoles.
Thigh Slap!!

Cat said...

Fabulous! I've just whipped this up for dinner...seriously! Was wondering what to do with that yummy fresh ricotta I had the urge to buy on the weekend. :)