Sunshine in Seattle! What’s a foodie to do to take advantage of a rare beautiful day? Yesterday, I decided to enjoy a walk down to the Public Market for some Ginger Beer from Rachel’s Ginger Beer, some flowers, and some general browsing. My usual check in at Sur La Table ended up in a gnocchi board purchase, inspiring me to make my goat cheese and Ricotta Gnocchi; I later spotted some gorgeous beets and knew they would make the perfect side salad for my pasta.
Gnocchi Recipe:
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup fresh goat cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 to 3 tsps fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper to season
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle surface with flour, and take 1/4 of gnocchi dough out for rolling. Using the palms of your hand, roll each portion of dough into a rope 1/2 an inch thick. Starting at one end, cut the dough in 3/4 inch pieces. Using a gnocchi board, roll each piece down the board to form the pasta. Cover a baking sheet in wax paper, dust with flour, and place each piece of pasta on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 portions of dough, then place baking sheet in the fridge to store until you are ready to cook the gnocchi.
Mixing the cheeses, flour, thyme, salt and pepper
Rolling the dough into a rope to cut into individual pieces
First batch of gnocchi pieces
Forming the gnocchi with the board
Finished gnocchi on the baking sheet, ready to store in the refrigerator
To cook, bring a pot of seasoned water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi pieces into the water, working in batches of about 1/3 of your total yield at a time, to avoid overcrowding the pot. Wait until the gnocchi floats up to the top of the water, and once the water returns to a moderate boil. remove gnocchi from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Continue cooking the other batches of gnocchi, setting each batch aside with the rest.
Remove gnocchi once pasta floats to the top and water returns to a boil
To finish the pasta, heat a skillet and melt butter and olive oil together with some fresh thyme. Add the cooked gnocchi, and sautee in the butter and oil until the gnocchi crisps up and becomes a light golden brown on each side. To serve, plate with some good-quality pesto or a brown butter sauce.
Sautee pasta in butter, olive oil, and thyme
Roasted Beet Salad:
4-5 medium beets, red and yellow
fresh goat cheese
Baby Arugula
olive oil
lemon wedge
salt and pepper, to taste
Trim the tops of the beets and the bottoms, and scrub well to remove any dirt. Wrap in aluminium foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast at 400F for 40 to 60 minutes, checking every 20 minutes or so to fork-test for doneness and to check for scorching. If the beets begin to scorch on the bottom, add a small amount of water, re-wrap, and return to the oven to continue roasting until done. Beets will be done when a fork can be easily inserted all the way into the centre. Remove from oven, open up foil, and let cool. Once beets have cooled, gently peel the outermost layer of skin, and slice.
In a small bowl, dress Arugula with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate greens, add sliced beets, and crumble goat cheese on top
Final Product: Ricotta Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Pesto and Roasted Beet Salad
