or a few pinches freshly chopped lemon zest (all optional)'
'1/2 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano
grated (about 1/4 cup very lightly packed)'
'About 1/4 teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)'
'All-purpose flour
for forming the gnocchi'
'8 tablespoons butter
sliced'
'2 teaspoons water'
Check the cheese for wetness
If you are lucky enough to have an individual basket-drained ricotta—you'll see the basket imprint or dimples on the cheese—it may be sitting in a little whey; in this case, slide it out of the container and wick away the surface moisture with a dry towel
With any ricotta, place about 2 teaspoons of the cheese on a dry paper towel and wait for about 1 minute
There will always be a little wet spot under and around the cheese, but if the cheese has thrown a wide ring of moisture, it is too wet to use as is
Place it in a strainer, or double-wrap in cheesecloth, and suspend over a deeper receptacle to drain for 8 to 24 hours, refrigerated
Cheesecloth is more efficient, as it also wicks moisture from the cheese while gravity does its job of draining
You can also speed up the draining operation by cinching the cheesecloth tight and squeezing some of the moisture from the ball of cheese
Beat the ricotta vigorously, then smash a little cheese against the side of the bowl with a soft rubber spatula
If you can still make out firm curds, press the cheese through a strainer to break them up
Stir in the eggs
Melt the 1 tablespoon of butter—with the chopped sage, if using—and add to the batter
Add the nutmeg or lemon zest, if using
Add the Parmigiano and salt and beat the whole mixture very well
This is what makes the gnocchi light
You should have a soft, fluffy batter
Make a bed of flour about 1/2 inch deep in a shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan
Scrape the sides of the bowl, mass the batter, and smooth its surface
Use a spoon held at an angle to shallow-scoop out 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter
Use your fingertip to push the almond-shaped scoop of batter cleanly from the bowl of the spoon onto the bed of flour
Shimmy the pan gently to coat the sides, then flip the gnocchi with your fingertip to coat the top
Lift from the flour and cradle and rock it in your palm
Don't squeeze it
You should have a dusty oval pod
As long as the general shape is uniform and rotund, don't worry that the gnocchi has a few wrinkles, dimples, and bumps
To check the batter, poach this first gnocchi in a small pot of simmering well-salted water
It will initially sink, but will then swell, roll, and bob to the surface
Maintaining the quiet simmer, cook until the gnocchi is just firm, usually 3 to 5 minutes from the time it floats, depending on the cheese and the size of the gnocchi
Don't boil hard, or the gnocchi may explode
If, even at a gentle simmer, the gnocchi spreads or starts to decompose, the cheese was probably too wet
This can usually be corrected by beating a teaspoon or so of egg white into the remaining batter
If the batter was very fluffy[,-CUT] but the sample seems heavy, beat in about 1 teaspoon beaten egg
In either case, poach another sample to make sure the fix is successful
Taste the sample for salt, and adjust the batter if needed
Use the same spoon-and-finger technique to form the rest of the gnocchi
I usually form them in groups of 4 to 6, placing them all at the same angle, and a few inches apart, in the bed of flour, then shimmy the pan to coat all of them at once; don't leave them sitting too long in the flour, or they will absorb too much
Keep scraping the bowl and smoothing the surface of the batter to permit smooth scoops
As with the sample, roll each gnocchi in your hand
Arrange them on a sheet pan lined with a flour-dusted sheet of parchment paper or wax paper
Be sure that the individual gnocchi are not touching one another
You can poach the gnocchi right away, but if you refrigerate them uncovered for about an hour, they will firm up, making them easier to cook and handle
(They will keep for up to 8 hours that way
)
Place the 8 tablespoons of butter and the 2 teaspoons of water in a 12-inch skillet; set aside
Bring 2 to 3 quarts water to a simmer in a wide pan, 10 or more inches in diameter, so the gnocchi won't crush each other too much as they push to the surface
Salt the water liberally—about 1 teaspoon per quart
Add the gnocchi one by one, adjusting the heat to maintain the simmer
Dip your fingertips in water if you find they are sticking to the gnocchi, but don't fret if the gnocchi stick a little to the paper
Do avoid holding the tray of gnocchi in the steam
Cook the gnocchi as you did the sample, until just firm, 3 to 5 minutes from the time they float
Meanwhile, as soon as the gnocchi float to the surface, place the pan of butter and water over medium heat
Swirl the pan as the butter melts and begins to seethe
As soon as the butter is completely melted and has turned into an opaque pale yellow sauce, turn off the heat
Swirl the pan a few more times
Lift the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon or skimmer, slide into the ready skillet, and roll in the warm butter sauce
Serve instantly in warm bowls
The mild flavor of the ricotta marries well with many other flavors and ingredients, especially sweet, subtle, or nutty ones
Whatever the companion, it should be tender and delicate—like the gnocchi themselves
Try serving the dumplings with a few leaves of sage, arugula, or spinach wilted in butter, or roll in melted butter with just-cooked baby carrots and fresh chervil
Or pair with tender flageolets finished with extra-virgin olive oil and black pepper
Or fold in matchsticks of just-cooked zucchini; its subtle flavor becomes clearer next to these gnocchi
In the spring, we offer them with barely cooked peas, tiny favas, or finely slivered asparagus, or all three
During summer, we match them with fresh white corn kernels cooked in butter with basil, or scatter them with chopped nasturtium blossoms
When tender-skinned Sungold Sweet 100 tomatoes are at their sweetest, we halve them, warm them in extra-virgin olive oil with basil, and toss them over the gnocchi
In the fall, fresh wild mushrooms slivered, stewed, and finished with white truffle oil are delicious with the gnocchi, and in the winter, whenever we have black truffles in house, we shave some generously over the dish
Prepare the batter as above
Warm an additional tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch skillet over low heat
Add a few handfuls of spinach leaves—about 2 ounces
Salt lightly and, stirring and folding constantly, cook until the spinach is completely wilted but still vibrant green, 1 to 2 minutes
Slide onto a clean towel, cover with another towel, and press to extract the moisture
(The spinach will bleed green into the towel
) Peel off the spinach and chop into bits the size of fresh thyme leaves
