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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Ricotta Gnocchi with Braised Radishes






Light and delicate Ricotta Gnocchi, tossed with Braised Radishes are a quick and perfect June dinner.

Recently, I gave a ricotta-making demonstration for Rural Vermont, an agricultural advocacy group here in Vermont.  The class was held at my friend Lisa Kaiman's Jersey Girls Dairy, just down the road in Chester.  I had a great time explaining my technique for making ricotta, meeting some very nice people, and spending some quality time with the Jersey Girls:



Lisa's cows aren't just pretty; they produce some truly superlative milk. I've been making cheese from it for several years, and I can vouch for the value of rotational grazing and TLC.  That evening, Lisa also hosted an ice cream social to benefit Rural Vermont, right in the cow barn! It's that clean and neat.




The venue
Ice cream in the Barn








I didn't bring Heidi, but maybe I should have..







 Back at the ranch, the garden is starting to produce the first vegetables of the season: radishes, arugula, lettuce, and chinese cabbage.  Mr. Know Whey has acquired a DR chipper, and is chopping up the brush piles to make walkways between the raised beds. I brought in my first big bunch of French Breakfast radishes the other day and tossed them in the sink:



I decided to braise the radishes, and make ricotta gnocchi that would echo the shape of the radishes. The reduced braising liquid would coat and flavor the gnocchi, and tie the flavors together. The resulting dish has a lovely fresh quality that I think you will like.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Braised Radishes



Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients

12 ounces ricotta, preferably homemade
1 extra large or jumbo egg
pinch of nutmeg
several grinds of salt and pepper
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup flour

Method

1. Prepare Braised Radishes; set aside.
   Technique:
  • Clean and trim a large bunch of  radishes, leaving a short bit of clean, green stem.  Trim off taproot.
  • Place in covered saute pan with 2 cups of chicken stock, 1/4 tsp salt and 3 T. butter
  • Cover and cook on medium heat until radishes are fork-tender (about 10 minutes for fresh radishes, possibly longer for large radishes or those purchased elsewhere)

  • Uncover the pan and reduce the juices until only a rosy glaze remains.


2. In a food processor with blade attached, combine ricotta, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Pulse to combine.

3. Pour flour on the counter, and dump the soft gnocchi mixture on top.  Add the parmesan cheese, and fold in the flour to form a soft dough.



4.  Form: Lightly flour a gnocchi board, and roll 1 teaspoon gently down the board to form the gnocchi. Roll off the end of the board onto a floured plate.  Repeat with the rest of the dough. (If you don't have a gnocchi board, form the dough into oblongs, then groove with the tines of a fork).


 
5. Drop the gnocchi into gently boiling water and poach for 3 or 4 minutes, until done through.  Test for doneness, and then drain.



6. Add the hot gnocchi to the finished radishes and glaze in the pan.  Toss briefly to coat, then serve. Garnish with snipped fresh sage leaves from the garden, and serve with fresh arugula!



Happy June!
--Sue

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10 comments:

  1. what a lovely place to come to. I will be here a lot.

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  2. What a knockout recipe. Can't wait to try it! I love your blog. Sometimes I click in just to enjoy the green vista in the Know Whey banner. Instant serenity. Thanks for the recipe.

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  3. Wow, this dish looks great! Two of my favorite ingredients, ricotta and gnocchi, combined. I'm definitely going to make it.

    Laura
    lajohnson555@yahoo.com

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  4. I've always wanted to make gnocchi!

    And I think we have the same blue plates :)

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  5. I've been dying to try different recipes involving radishes to give them more flavour! Thanks for the recipe!

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  6. these gnocchi look sooo perfect and light! Love them!

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  7. I will have to try this recipe! I love ricotta, the hubby loves gnocchi. Looks so good!

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  8. This looks delightful! Your gnocchi look delicious.

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  9. juliaelmer at hotmail dot comJuly 1, 2011 at 6:13 AM

    I just recently started making cheese, and I found your blog through a Chowhound link to your Ricotta Torta Rustica. Then this recipe caught my eye! I'm always looking for new things to do with radishes. YUM! Now I need to make both of these recipes... Thank you!

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  10. Not only does the gnocchi look out of this world, but the idea of braised radishes is amazing!! I have a bunch in my garden that need to be used and I am going to try this recipe out immediately!

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Your feedback matters! So please leave a comment. I will do my best to answer all comments! Cheers, Sue