Light as air these ricotta gnocchi with peas is easy to make. I finish them with bacon and mint so the flavors are full and diverse, making the airy texture all the more exciting. After a week of cooking my mother’s recipes followed by a cocktail that took me a couple of days to recover from, I am happy to say I am back in the kitchen cooking my own stuff.
I say my own because I did not follow a recipe here. Instead, I applied what I learned from my Tyler Florence cooking experience last month and adapted the process for this version of gnocchi. The notes I took during both exercises became the recipe you see here. I am particularly proud of this recipe. I also like the photo very much.
Gnocchi with Peas
That’s because I spent the weekend honing my blogging skills at CampBlogaway. This photo Gnocchi with Peas represents a few new food styling tricks I picked up from Denise Vivaldo. Most importantly I learned the importance of treating my garnishes with as much love and precision as I do the stars of the plate. Garnishes can also be used to artfully hide small flaws and even help guide your eye through the frame. Not that there are any small flaws on this plate… or at least any you can see! If you want to pick up some of these tricks yourself you can because Denise has a book on the art of food styling coming soon called The Food Stylists Handbook. You can pre-order it by CLICKING here. I plan to.
But first, let’s talk gnocchi. As close as I can figure gnocchi (pronounced nee-O-key) means “little lumps”. One look at a proper gnocchi and you can see why. But they did not call them little potato lumps so I figure there is room for extemporizing. Which means, in my opinion, there is no reason to strictly limit myself little lumps of potato, semolina or even ricotta dough.
And beyond that, it seems there are two schools of thought on gnocchi. They can be chewy or they can be pillowy. In my opinion, they both have their place on my plate. Traditionally the chewier varieties are potato based. The dough is drier and easy to roll out. Their light as air cousins often starts out life as ricotta. They are more difficult to handle. But handled well they reward you with little pillows of luscious texture.
And while the little-lump concept lends itself to improvisation, the actual shaping of the potato gnocchi is a precise craft. Marcella Hazan has a wonderful method and warns us that despite the name “gnocchi should be anything but lumpish”… I don’t know, maybe etymology is not her strong suit…
But I do like her process for molding the perfect gnocchi. But keep in mind that she is discussing the doughier (usually potato) style of gnocchi. She directs us to divide the dough into several parts depending on how much dough you made, your goal is baseball sized. Each part should be rolled out into one-inch thick ropes and 
sliced into 3/4 of an inch long “lumps” There’s that word again!
Now comes the critical part: “Take a dinner fork with long, slim tines, rounded if possible,” she writes. “Working over a counter, hold the fork more or less parallel to the counter, with the concave side facing you. With the index finger of your other hand, hold one of the cut pieces against the inside curve of the fork, just below the tips of the prongs. At the same time that you are pressing the piece against the prongs, flip it away from the tips and in the direction of the handle. The motion of the finger is flipping, not dragging. As the piece rolls away from the prongs, let it drop to the counter. If you are doing it correctly, it will have ridges on one side formed by the tines and a depression on the other formed by your fingertip.”
Now all this is great advice and when followed precisely you will indeed attain perfect gnocchi. But the amount of flour and the working of the dough creates tougher glutens that are indeed a bit chewy in the end. And there is nothing wrong with that. Because potato gnocchi is usually boiled and served with rich sauces like pesto, sage butter, Gorgonzola or a butter-enriched tomato sauce.
But ricotta-based gnocchi dough is much lighter. It should not be worked too much because you will lose the pillowy texture you are looking for. The very best way to form the dumplings, in this case, is with a teaspoon or scoop. I personally prefer a small 1 1/2‑inch cookie/ice-cream type scoop. The result is a more free-form ball of gnocchi, but the texture will be light and lovely.
Gnocchi with Peas, Bacon & Mint serves 8 as a first-course CLICK here for a printable recipe
- 1 c whole-milk ricotta
- 2 1⁄2 c freshly shelled peas
- 2 T kosher salt
- 2 c loosely packed parsley, leaves only
- 1 t fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 1 T fresh mint leaves, minced
- 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 t finely textured sea salt, plus more as needed
- 1⁄2 t white pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 1⁄2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 c parmesan, finely grated, plus more for garnish
- 8 slices thick cut bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4‑inch strips
- 1 T unsalted butter, plus more as needed
- 1⁄4 c chicken broth, plus more as needed
- mint leaves, both torn and whole to taste
- very good olive oil for drizzling
Drain the ricotta well by placing it into a cheesecloth lined stainer set over a bowl for at least 3 hours.
Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and water. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt along with the peas. Cook the peas about 3 minutes, then add the parsley leaves and stir to combine. Cook another 30 seconds then drain and quickly add the peas and parsley to the prepared ice bath to stop their cooking. Once completely cooled drain them well and transfer them to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mixture 3 or 4 times, then puree about 15 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and process another 15 to 20 seconds.
Transfer the puree to a large mixing bowl, add the salt, pepper, thyme, minced mint, drained ricotta, and egg yolks. Mix well. Add the flour and Parmesan cheese to the bowl and fold the mixture gently to incorporate. Do not over mix, a slightly streaky mixture is fine.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a teaspoon or a small scoop form the dough into 1‑inch balls and drop them one by one into the boiling water. Do not overcrowd them, work in batches. They should float to the top when fully cooked, about 4 minutes. Transfer them to a parchment lined sheet as they finish cooking. They may be made ahead to this point up to one day.
Heat a large skillet or fry pan over-medium high heat. Add the bacon slices and cook until browned, but still a bit chewy in texture. Transfer to a paper towel lined plated to drain. Pour off some of the rendered bacon fat so that there is about 1/4‑inch left on the bottom of the skillet. Retain the extra bacon fat. Add butter and chicken broth and reheat the skillet.
When ready to serve lightly brown the gnocchi with the bacon fat and chicken broth mixture, tossing often to coat. Season with salt and white pepper. Work in batches if necessary adding more reserved bacon fat, butter, and chicken broth as needed. Transfer the warm gnocchi to a serving platter or bowl. Toss the reserved bacon pieces on top and garnish with Parmesan, mint leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm.
SERIOUS FUN FOOD
Greg Henry
SippitySup
Gnocchi with Peas
Gnocchi with Peas
I’d love to read Jeff Koehler’s cookbook. You’ve intrieged me with the authours talents to choose the recipes and to write the book in general. Many thanks for the recipe. The dish must be very delicious. I’d love to share one recipe which I’ve done not long ago: http://www.tubesfan.com/watch/italian-risotto . It is quite easy and very tasty.
i must get a copy of this book! the entire dish not only looks beautiful but it also looks really delicious
Can’t get more Mediterranean than couscous! I love the texture and how it just absorbs flavors from whatever is poured on top of it. But your twist of topping it off with crunchy calamari is fascinating.
The calamari looks absolutely beautiful and mouth watering.
Another excellent cookbook review. Especially for this pasta/rice/couscous lover. I really like cookbooks in which the authors write from the heart and the memory. I feel like that really comes through in the recipes.
I would never have thought to combine cinnamon with bay leaves. But it sounds delicious. Fantastic dish.
Okay, I admit that I HATe rice…yes, I’m an Asian that dislikes rice…but I think that’s why I need to read this book. Maybe it’ll give me a fresh appreciation for this humble staple, to read it in conjunction of history and culture!
Looks like such a delicious dish!
Or it could be the smashing first course of a dinner party. Do your friends just line up at the door.
I’m afraid calamari is never an option for me, but rather a requirement. I bet it would be delectable over this flavorful couscous.…YUM!
What a wonderful dish — I would love a taste of the cinnamon-bay leaf combination. This course of Sicilian couscous, calamari and Gewurztraminer sounds irresistible.
As I applied for photography degrees I had to consider my final project for my masters degree. A journalistic tour of cultures and the food tied to them was in the forefront. I love how food plays such a large role in how we define ourselves. I think I would love this book, I know I love your take on it!
Great recipe and it sounds like an excellent book. Is peperocino just another name for red pepper flakes or is it a similar ingredient?
To me peperoncino is a dried red pepper, similar to red pepper flakes. Though sweeter. I bought mine iat Marios Italian Deli in Glendale. It came dried in whole pepper form. It was smaller and rounder than the dried whole Thai red pepper I but sometimes.
Peperoncino are not to be confused with the Italian green pepper served pickled called pepperocini.
But my research shows that the term peperoncino has a rather generic quality… I stole this from the web somewhere.
“Originally from central South America, Capsicum annuuum is a plant that grows in temperate to hot climates. There are 85 varieties of this species of spicy chili that in Italy goes by peperoncino – an ingredient that gives spice to dishes throughout the world. Peperoncino was among the various wonders of the New World brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus. In the Americas, it held great value as a bartering tool in the spice markets.
The best peperoncino in Italy can be found in Calabria and Basilicata. The different types of peperoncino can be distinguished based on their level of sweetness. The heat or spice of the peperoncino comes from capsaicin, a substance present in the peppers in large quantities with regards to their small size. Even if their flavor is spicy, it is unmistakable. Peperoncino is referred to by different regional names throughout Italy.
In Calabria, for example, it is often called diavulillo or pipazzu; in Basilicata it is diavulicchiu; in Campania, peparuolo; in L’Aquilia, pepentò; and pipi russi in Sicily. Peperoncino is used in the rustic cooking of southern Italy, where it gives a kick to simple preparations of pasta, vegetables and fish. It can also be eaten fresh, sprinkled over food, or preserved in oil, dries or ground into a powder. It is often used to spice salumi, including Nduja — a specialty of Calabria.
In addition to is culinary uses, peperoncino is known to aide digestion and vasodilation.”
GREG
A nice delicate but flavorful treatment for Israeli couscous. I also the like the texture contrast with the calamari. Quite a lovely dish!
Wonderful. Fried calamari is one thing I want to cooking up. I always end up ordering it whenever I eat out. I remember thinking how difficult it would be to make couscous, until I realized that they were jut like little pasta balls. I always thought that there was some special process to making them. 🙂
This is a great recipe. I like that you used Israeli couscous which has more body and bite and topping it with fried calamari is genius to add additional texture and taste.
This dish looks wonderful! That fried calamari over the perfect cous cous orbs. The addition of cinnamon is a great flavor twist. I want to be at your house for dinner! The book looks like a great find.
for cous cous and calimari. I make 20lbs. of cous cous at work every two days and I still love the stuff. Israeli cous cous with seafood is a brilliant choice. The texture of the cous cous against any seafood makes it looks like you are serving tiny pearls to your guests.
Great job as always Greg.
Eric