Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Gnocchi

1. 1
   Drain the ricotta well for half an hour.

   Fine sieve
2. 2
   In a bowl, mix the ricotta, flour, egg, Parmesan, salt and nutmeg into a soft dough.

   Bowl

   💡Wet ricotta needs more flour, and more flour makes heavy gnocchi: drain it well first, and add flour only until the dough holds its shape.
3. 3
   Lightly flour the work surface, roll the dough into ropes 2 cm thick and cut into pillows of about 2 cm.

   Knife
4. 4
   Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water in batches about 2–3 minutes, until they float, and remove with a slotted spoon.

   ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePotSlotted spoon

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.

For the Tomato sauce

1. 5
   In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olive oil and garlic with the salt.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 6
   Add and fry 3 minutes, until the peppers soften.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 7
   Add and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.

To assemble

1. 8
   Transfer the gnocchi straight into the sauce, add the basil, stir gently and serve immediately.

   💡Gnocchi are delicate: toss them in the sauce gently and only for a minute or two, or they fall apart.