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Daring Cooks, May 2009 – Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi with Chicken Meatballs

Two and a half years after the birth of The Daring Bakers, Lis and Ivonne introduce The Daring Cooks with the first ever challenge – Zuni Café Ricotta Gnocchi!

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi
(adapted from the The Zuni Café Cookbook)

First of all, you will have to make your own fresh ricotta. Here is an excellent how-to video by Gourmet Magazine‘s editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez. The recipe uses 2 quarts (1,9 l) milk and I managed to make 400 g (out of 450 g needed) ricotta using 3.2% fat milk. Follow the recipe from the video, but let ricotta strain for a day or at least overnight. This is the most important part of the process and if you make ricotta right, your gnocchi will turn out right.

The next day, mash the ricotta as best as you can, add 15 g grated Parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp melted butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 small cold eggs, lightly beaten and beat all the ingredients together very well. Put in the fridge for a half an hour, then, shape the gnocchi and roll each one into flour. Boil water in a large pot. Salt it generously. Cook gnocchi in it for 3 minutes from the moment they come up the surface.

Chicken Meatballs
(adapted from Sale & Pepe Serbia, April 2009 issue)

Soak 50 g bread in some water, squeeze out the water, crumble it, and add it to 300 g ground chicken breasts along with 1 egg, 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp chopped curled parsley leaves, salt and ground black pepper. Form meatballs of the similar size of your gnocchi. Fry them on a non-stick pan on no or a very little oil.

When you’re done with everything, melt 100 g butter with a few leaves of finely chopped fresh sage and pour over the gnocci. Serve with meatballs, sprinkled with more Parmesan.

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28 Comments

  • Monika May 13, 2009 9:02 pm

    ne znam što mi bolje zvuči…njoki ili pileće okruglice :) ovi njoki su stvarno posebni…krasna fotka ;)

  • anna May 13, 2009 9:15 pm

    That looks delicious! I didn’t think I wanted to join Daring Cooks but I’m not so sure now…

  • Memória May 13, 2009 9:56 pm

    Oh darn!! I didn’t know they started Daring Cooks! I would have joined! I would have loved to make this!! You did an awesome job!!! At least I can see beautiful pictures of your creations! :D

  • Rosa’s Yummy Yums May 13, 2009 10:05 pm

    Oh, yummy! These gnocchi look delicious!Cheers,Rosa

  • Junglefrog May 13, 2009 11:22 pm

    Your gnocchi look amazing Marija! Making them round is actually quite a good idea as I struggled to make them into a presentable shape (an failed!) It looks delicious!

  • Snooky doodle May 14, 2009 12:59 am

    what a nice dish :)

  • Marigold May 14, 2009 1:26 am

    njoki su odlični, na fotki izgledaju prefino, a ovaj video koji pokazuje kako napraviti ricottu će mi sigurno koristiti! :))

  • Audax May 14, 2009 2:46 am

    Clever idea meatballs and gnocchi what a great meal. Just love the pix. Great work on your 1st challenge hope you have many more happy challenges. Cheers from Audax in Australia

  • Karen May 14, 2009 4:04 am

    Beautiful photo! Yours looks so hearty and rustic. Gorgeous :)

  • Sweet Corner May 14, 2009 6:12 am

    fotka je predivna a njoki fantasticno izgledaju!

  • lisamichele May 14, 2009 6:17 am

    I love how you got such a perfect sear on your gnocchi, and the photos are great! Nicely done!

  • Lauren May 14, 2009 7:04 am

    Your gnocchi look amazing!! I love what you did with the flavours =D.

  • Connie Weiss May 14, 2009 7:11 am

    Great job! I wish I had made my own Ricotta….next time!

  • Cheri May 14, 2009 11:09 am

    What a great idea to do meatballs with the Gnocchi… my mouth is watering.

  • Nico May 14, 2009 11:51 am

    mmmm really nice, congrats

  • Nico May 14, 2009 12:02 pm

    beautiful, they look so good

  • Talita May 14, 2009 1:16 pm

    Wow! Your blog is awesome! I’m totally lost seeing all these decadents dishes! Love it!

  • Lori Lynn May 14, 2009 3:26 pm

    I have the Zuni cookbook, haven’t looked at it in a while, got to take it out! Thanks for the reminder.Lovely photos!LL

  • Christie’s Corner May 14, 2009 4:05 pm

    Gorgeous photo. Absolutely gorgeous. Mine, not so much. Homemade ricotta is key and I used store bought. Not a good idea.

  • jenncuisine May 14, 2009 5:05 pm

    Great picture of your gnocchi!

  • Julia @ Mélanger May 15, 2009 5:51 am

    I am a baker by heart, but with dishes like this I could be converted. To be honest, I am a fan of gnocchi. This looks great! Beautiful. I’m hungry now! :)

  • art and lemons May 15, 2009 5:56 am

    Lovely photo!

  • Natashya May 15, 2009 5:56 am

    Beautiful! I love the little chicken meatballs that you make with it.

  • Mafilka May 15, 2009 12:54 pm

    WOW! What a great meal!!! :-)

  • A_and_N May 15, 2009 2:26 pm

    They look so so so good!

  • pigpigscorner May 16, 2009 1:12 am

    What a challenge! You did great!

  • Deeba @Passionate About Baking May 17, 2009 6:23 pm

    Just fabulous Marija…so glad you joined too & make this look like an absolute cake-walk (which it wasn't for me, but then it was the draining of the ricotta!) Love the butter & sage & meatballs…YUM!!

  • gine May 21, 2009 11:39 am

    Those gnocchi look superdelicious, Marija :-)!! XOXO

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