Romy Week 5 Homemade Gnocchi with the Finestones

 

This week, our South African family friends, the Finestones, came to visit. They’ve had to stay in the US for a few weeks to keep their green card, so Boca was their last stop. They’ve been staying in my house for the week, and we’ve been doing lots of things to keep them entertained and convince them to finally move to the states. Last weekend we went down to Wynwood and walked around Atlantic Avenue to give them a taste of life in Florida. Tonight, they shared their recipe for homemade ricotta gnocchi, and it’s amazing! The recipe is quite simple and quick, so I thought I would share it with all of you. 

I’ll send the full recipe to whoever wants it, but here are the instructions. Start by chopping up butternut into inch cubes and coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pop that in the oven at 350 degrees and roast for 30-4 minutes- until soft. Next, combine the ricotta, flour, parmesan cheese, olive oil, egg, and salt together in a large bowl. Bring a pot of water to boil while you continue prepping the pasta. Start off mixing the ingredients with a spoon, and then knead it with your hands once a sticky dough forms. Take out handfuls of dough at a time and roll them into snakes on a floured surface. Once rolled out, take a knife and slice it into inch-long pieces. Once you have all of your pieces cut, place them in the boiling water and allow them to cook until they float to the top. (Tip: use a ladle to place the gnocchi in the water so you don't get splashed by dropping them in.) Only put in a few pieces at a time so they don’t get stuck to each other. Strain your pasta and repeat until all of it is cooked. Then sautee the pasta in a pan with oil until they get a bit of color. 

While the pasta is cooking, you can start the sauce. Start by melting the gorgonzola in a large saucepan. Once completely melted, add the garlic. Then add a little bit of pasta water to the sauce and let it simmer. Add the butternut and stir until combined. 

Combine the sauce and pasta, top off with grated parmesan and extra salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy! 

Let me know if you want to try this recipe and I can send it to you! Have you ever made homemade pasta?