Ricotta Gnocchi

Bring a large pasta pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to a simmer until you need it.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Heat the olive oil over a medium high flame in a sauté pan. When the surface starts to just ripple, add the garlic and whole dried red chili pepper if using. As soon as the garlic starts to color a little, about 2 minutes add the tomatoes - they will hiss and spit.

Turn the heat down to medium and cook stirring until the tomatoes have taken on an orangey hue and lost some of their liquid about 5 minutes. If they start to look dry add water from the pasta pot 1/4 cup at a time. Set aside and keep warm. You can make the sauce ahead of time and heat it through when you’re ready.

Make the gnocchi. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, parmesan nutmeg and lemon zest. Beat in the ricotta a little at a time until well blended. Add a generous pinch of salt. Sift in the 1/4 cup of flour followed by 1/2 the almond flour and fold together. Gradually add in the remaining almond flour and keep folding until you have a soft, sticky dough. Add more almond flour a tablespoon at a time if you need it.

Flour your hands and dust your work top with whole wheat or gluten free flour. Spoon about 1/2-3/4 cup of the gnocchi mixture onto the floured surface and with your hands, gently roll and shape it into a thick sausage shape about 6”-8” long sprinkling it with flour as you go, especially if the dough is very sticky. When you’re done the roll should be lightly covered in flour. With a wet knife cut the dough into pieces about 1/2” - 3/4” long. Arrange in a single layer on a floured plate or board making sure they don’t touch. Repeat until there’s no dough left.

Bring the water back to a boil. Add 6-8 gnocchi at a time to the water. as soon as they rise to the surface, they’re cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a warmed dish. Repeat until all are cooked.

Reheat the tomato sauce. When it’s just bubbling, add the gnocchi and a couple of handfuls of arugula and gently mix in. Cook 1 minute or until the arugula has wilted. Serve immediately with extra freshly grated parmesan.

Ann's tips:

The dough is very soft but the gnocchi firm up when cooked. The only time they haven’t held together for me is when I’ve lazily multiplied the recipe by adding extra flour but without following the ratio of cheese-to-flour-to-egg in the recipe above.
I like to use arugula as it is available year round but in the summertime when it's easily available, add a handful freshly torn basil leaves instead.