Eggless Ricotta Gnocchi

Soft pillows of happiness made and served in minutes thanks to Thermomix.  I finally found a Thermomix ricotta gnocchi recipe that calls for no eggs.  I had this recipe on file for a rainy day and one when I had a container of my favorite local sheep's milk ricotta from Ewenity: http://www.ewenity.com/  I usually have their feta in the fridge, I have been known to pick up 3 containers at a time from St. Lawrence Market here in Toronto (best price directly from them).  I have a tendency to hoard food products that I really like.  The ricotta has less shelf-life, usually about a week so I buy as needed.  I had tried making potato gnocchi in the past but ended up with such a disaster, I am not the neatest in the kitchen and I am quite used to messes, but it was too much for me.  I'm sure that with more practice, I would see the errors of my novice ways.  This time, with ricotta, the gnocchi dough came out perfectly and with no mess or mess-ups.  I was so happy that my first-time go at it turned into a success instead of an experiment.  We really enjoyed the gnocchi topped with tomato sauce, also made in the Thermomix, and topped with a heaping amount of fresh basil.  Now, I have a great eggless gnocchi recipe in my back pocket.  It is such a treat for me when I go out, and now I can have it made fresh at home.  I can't wait to see if my toddler wants to roll out the dough into logs the next time.  It's really not all that different from playdough, really.  I will consider using Gran Padano or another type of cheese, or one that cost less than Parmigiano Reggiano, in the future.  I want to add one allergen note: please make certain that you use fresh Parmesan.  Some pre-packed varieties can contain egg protein.  And that stuff isn't what you want to be using anyway.  


What you need, I halved the recipe with enough left over to freeze one portion:

80g Parmesan cheese cubed/I used 40g

230g bakers flour/ I used 130g WF All purpose organic flour

450g drained ricotta cheese/ I used 300 g

Pinch salt

Pinch nutmeg

Thermomix method from http://thermorecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/gnocchi

Place Parmesan into TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9.

Add remaining ingredients to TM bowl and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 minute on Interval speed.

Turn out onto floured ThermoMat and divide into 5 equal portions.  I did 4 equal portions with half recipe.

Roll each portion into a long ‘snake’ and cut into equal sized pieces. You can cook them at this point, or roll them down a gnocchi board to create ridges.

Cook gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water. (Do not add gnocchi until water has reached a rolling boil.)

When they rise to the surface, they are cooked. Remove, drain and add sauce of choice.

While the gnocchi is cooking, make the following sauce, or simply serve with some minced garlic sauteed in a little melted butter, chopped fresh herbs of choice and plenty of freshly milled Parmesan.

Steps for how I made gnocchi and sauce for dinner tonight using Thermomix. 

1.Chop one shallot and 1 garlic clove 

2.Saute 1 minute, 100 degrees, speed 1

3.Add tomato:  defrosted frozen small container left over from bolognese sauce: mixture of canned whole tomatoes and heaping amount of tomato paste (love the sweetness).  I added to it dried basil and crack of black pepper and  pinch of salt.  Cook 2 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1

4.Move to sauce pan and set aside.  Then simmer gently when water is already boiling and ready for gnocchi.

5.Clean TM bowl and bring pot of water to boil for gnocchi.

6. Proceed with gnocchi recipe above.