Tuscan Cooking Class: Homemade Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi… a perfect Italian meal after Christmas Holidays!

If you’re living my situation and you invited a lots of people at your table before, during and after Christmas…maybe you’ll need to sleep (first of all) and to manage “these days after” the party as well.

Organization is a must, but first of all: it needs to prepare quick and easy dishes for the days coming after the big (in Italy for sure) Christmas lunch.

Since I can’t go far from the genuinity, something homemade and local ingredients…I think that I’ll prepare some Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi: they’re very fast, light (did you know this?) and a traditional Tuscan favorite! 

Delicate, soft but not too much, amazing if you use freshly grated Parmigiano cheese.

You can season them with:

is one of CuocheinVacanza‘s most requested private cooking classes : 

parents and children or honeymooners, often choose a hands on cookery course where everyone can enjoy rolling and cutting fresh pasta and than enjoy the fruits of its labour.

You too can try to make this easy and fast dish, sure that you’ll wow your friends and family as they tasted these delicate but tasteful Gnocchi. 

You need just half an hour of your precious time, giving the impression to have prepared a light, worthy of a gourmet meal.

Here’s the recipe, all for you!

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi

4 servings

Ingredients: 

for Gnocchi

• 14 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 6-8 oz Flour 
• 1 Egg
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

for the Sauce

• 3 tbs unsalted Butter
• 8 sage leaves
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions:

• Drain the Ricotta on a coliander and put it in a bowl
• Add the parmesan and the egg and start to stir with a spatula
• Add the flour, slowly; stirring with the spatula until fully incorporated. You’ve to obtain a dough that doesn’t stick at your fingers. If you see it’s still very moist, add another spoon of flour or more, until it’s not.
• Put the dough over a floured surface and shape an oval
• Cut this dough in 4 or 5 pieces
• Take each piece and start to roll it over the floured surface to form a long sausage, about 2 cm thick and long more than you can
• Cut with a knife or a “Gnocchi cutter” this sausage in pieces long about 2 cm and place them over a floured sheet tray. 
• Put the butter in a pan and, when it’s fully melted, add the sage leaves (clean but dry)
• When the leaves change color (a sort of dark grey), it means they’re crispy. Switch off the heat. Take off the leaves from the pan and put them in a cup
• Put a pot of water (about 3 liters), on the stove and bring to boil, add 1/2 oz of salt
•  Take a slotted spoon (in Italy we call it “schiumarola”)
• When the water is boiling add the Gnocchi 
• Wait about 2 or 3 minutes. When the Gnocchi float, they’re ready;  
• Remove them from pot with your slotted spoon, put over a tray and season with the butter
• Top with the crispy leaves and some grated parmesan as well