gnocchi di ricotta

Checking out one of my all-time favorite food blogs, I spotted an easy recipe for a ricotta-based gnocchi. Ever since tasting the bone marrow gnocchi at Le Pigeon in Portland, I've loved trying different variations on gnocchi that contain no potato (the gnocchi alla romana at Sitka and Spruce is another favorite).

In this recipe, the ricotta gives the gnocchi a fantastic light, pillowy texture---similar to the way it can lighten the texture of pancakes---making gnocchi that are a great base for simple summer flavors. The only adaptation I made to the recipe was the addition of some fresh thyme leaves from our garden.

Depending on the ricotta you use, the dough can be quite moist. The trick here is to use as little flour as possible... just enough to hold the dough together so it can be rolled, cut, and immediately dropped into a pot of boiling water. The less flour there is in the dough, the more etherially cloud-like the gnocchi will be.

We dressed the gnocchi with fresh corn sauteed in browned butter, sage, clove and oregano blossoms, and added just a few vibrantly flavorful cherry tomatoes from the garden. A quick, easy dish for a Wednesday summer supper.