Ricotta Gnocci with Lemon Thyme Butter Sauce

Gnocchi:
250g ricotta cheese
¼ cup (25g) grated parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra grated parmesan, to serve

Sauce:
80g unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Start with the sauce: place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the butter melts completely. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now, the gnocchi: place the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, egg, flour, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well until smooth – the ricotta cheese we have here in Brazil is a bit dry, so I started by breaking it with a fork and then added all the other ingredients. You'll see specks of ricotta in the gnocchi because I did not want to overmix the dough.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased or coated with cooking spray surface and shape into a long log; cut the gnocchi – they should be about 2cm.
Make indentations in each dough ball with a fork – I did not do that.

Cook the gnocchi in a large saucepan with boiling salted water – as soon as the balls come up to the surface, they will be almost ready; let them cook for another 30 seconds then remove them carefully from the pan, using a skimming ladle.

Heat the sauce, pour over the gnocchi, sprinkle with parmesan and serve at once.

Serves 2

http://technicolorkitcheninenglish.blogspot.com/2008/04/ricotta-gnocchi-with-lemon-thyme-butter.html


Lemon Thyme Butter Sauce

# 4 teaspoons butter
# 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
# 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
# 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
# 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
# 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
# Dash of kosher salt
# 2 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
# 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots to pan; cook for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally (do not brown). Stir in lemon rind, thyme, juice, and dash of salt.