Recipe: Paolo's Poached Lemon-flavored Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter (Gnocchi di Rico

Paolo's Poached Lemon-flavored Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter (Gnocchi di Ricotta di Paolo)
Source: La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio by Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene with Michele Evans
Servings: 4

1 pound ricotta*
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs, or as needed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Scotch whiskey
Salt
1/2 cup sweet butter
4 sage leaves, freshly chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the ricotta, bread crumbs, lemon zest, egg, and Scotch together in a bowl. Add more bread crumbs, if necessary - the mixture should be fairly firm, but light and moist. Shape into 8 ovals about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Bring 3 inches of lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a large, deep-sided frying pan. Gently lower the gnocchi into the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Gently roll each over with a wooden spoon to cook evenly. After about 5 minutes, when the gnocchi float, they are done. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir in the sage leaves, keeping the heat very low.

Arrange 2 gnocchi on each of 4 first-course plates. Spoon equal amounts of the sage butter over the tops and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

*Ricotta

To best duplicate sumptuous Sicilian sheep's milk ricotta from the American commercially made cow's milk product, it is necessary to drain out the excess liquid by straining it over a bowl with a weight on top for one or two nights - two are best. The ricotta won't taste exactly like our fresh creamy sheep's ricotta, but depending on the product, it is usually quite an acceptable substitute in texture and consistency.

There are a few sources for fresh sheep's ricotta in the United States. If you are fortunate enough to live nearby, use fresh sheep's ricotta in our recipes.

1 to 3 pounds ricotta (whatever amount required in recipe)

Line a large plastic strainer with three layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. The bottom of the strainer should rest at least 1 inch from the bottom of the bowl, so the liquid that drains out of the ricotta can collect freely there. Spoon the ricotta into the lined strainer. Put a small saucer on top of the ricotta. Rest a 16 or 28-ounce can of some ingredient like tomatoes on the saucer. Cover the can and the cheese in a bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Up to 1/2 cup liquid will drain out of the ricotta when it is strained in this method. We have found that the procedure works best if left for two days. If you have time to leave it for two days, remove the can and saucer and stir the ricotta at the end of the first day. Discard any drained liquid in the bowl. Replace the ricotta in the strainer over the bowl, and the saucer and can, cover, and refrigerate the cheese overnight again.