Fried Ricotta Gnocchi

This recipe from The Forest Feast Mediterranean is inspired by my travels in Italy. It makes for a great comfort food meal this time of year when the nights are still a little bit chilly before Spring kicks in.

FRIED RICOTTA GNOCCHI

from The Forest Feast Mediterranean

2 c (490 g) whole milk ricotta

2 eggs

1 c (100 g) grated parmesan

1 c (125 g) flour

1 tsp chopped chives

pinch of salt

Mix ingredients in a bowl to form a dough. If it feels too sticky to roll into a log, add a bit more flour.

Roll the dough into a log & slice into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil & cook the gnocchi in batches until they float (about 3 min). Meanwhile, melt 2 T butter in a pan. Drain the gnocchi, pat them dry, & transfer to the hot pan — making sure to cook until browned on both sides.

Enjoy immediately! You can top with more olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt & pepper, and any herbs you like. I used chives here but you could easily use chopped Italian parsley as well.

xx

Erin

Curly Kale and Curly Pasta (Salad)

Pasta, Beans & Greens! Also easily made with gluten-free pasta, and can be vegan if you use a dairy-free pesto. This is a good one for entertaining because it’s easy to make ahead and great warm or at room temperature.

This post was done in collaboration with on Better Homes and Gardens.

Two Tomato Carrot Ribbon Pasta

Weekend (or weeknight) recipe idea! When making a pasta dish, sometimes I like to replace half of the pasta with carrot ribbons to make it a little lighter.

TO MAKE (serves about 4) : Use a potato peeler and shave long ribbons off 3 carrots (I use the peels too, but feel free to discard). Press hard for thicker ribbons. Boil 12 oz long pasta (like fettuccine) as usual then with 30 seconds remaining add the carrot “ribbons” . Strain the whole pot as usual, then toss with chopped marinated sun dried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, fresh parsley, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper… plus a squeeze of lemon if you wish. Enjoy!

I adapted this recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe and posted it on their blog.

Related Posts:

Carrot Ribbon Salad with meyer lemon

Carrot & Zucchini Ribbon Salad with edible flowers

Chili Oil

For a year in college I studied art in Italy’s culinary capital, Bologna. I lived with 4 Italian girls who made endless variations of pasta and always had homemade chili oil on hand. It’s basically just olive oil and red pepper flakes- you can add whole dried peppers to the bottle if you have them (my parents grew and strung these for me last summer). Most restaurants in Bologna had some sort of spicy oil available as well and I grew to really love the stuff! It’s easy to make and makes almost everything better, especially cheese pizza. Do watch out though as it gets spicier over time! If it becomes too spicy, you can dilute it with more oil.

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

Scallion Pesto

This pesto uses scallions (a.k.a. green onions) instead of basil. Cooking them just a bit before you process them takes the onion-y edge off and adds flavor. I spread the pesto on toasted bread to make little crostini, but you can also toss it in pasta with roasted vegetables. Bon Appetit!

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast