Add zest to gnocchi with lemon asparagus sauce, perfect for spring!
Ricotta Gnocchi with Asparagus Sauce
INGREDIENTS
One 16-oz container ricotta cheese, well-drained
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten with a fork
Zest one large lemon plus the juice (reserve for the sauce)
Pinch salt
1 to 2 cups (approx.) durum semolina flour (fine grind)
Lemon Butter Sauce:
2 cups asparagus tips, (reserve the rest of the spears for another use)
Salt
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
DIRECTIONS
Place the asparagus tips in boiling salted water and cook them not more than 2 minutes; scoop them out of the pan and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, when cool drain them and set aside.
Mash the ricotta with a fork in a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks, zest and a pinch of salt and combine well. Add enough flour to make a soft dough and knead it into a smooth ball. Let it rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile make the sauce.
To make the sauce: melt the butter over low heat in a saute pan and stir in the lemon juice. Add the asparagus tips and combine well. Slowly add the cream and the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Set aside and keep warm
Cut dough into quarters and work with one piece of dough at a time and roll each into long ropes about 18 inches and thickness of your middle finger. Cut the ropes crosswise into ½ inch long pieces.
Lightly dust the gnocchi with four and roll each one off the tines of a fork or butter paddle to create the grooves and small indentation.
When all the gnocchi are made, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt; cook the gnocchi half at a time until they bob to the top. Fish them out with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer them directly to the saucepan. Heat slowly and toss the gnocchi with the sauce. Serve with additional cheese on the side. Serves 4 to 6
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