Ricotta Gnocchi With Mixed Mushrooms and Prosciutto Sauce
(Gnocchi di Ricotta Ai Funghi Misti e Prosciutto)
Ingredients:
For the Gnocchi:
1 pound whole-milk ricotta
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
For the Sauce:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound mixed mushrooms (such as white cultivated, brown, chanterelles or shiitake mushrooms) wiped clean and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1/4 pound sliced prosciutto cut into small strips
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Prepare the Gnocchi:
In a large bowl, combine ricotta with flour and salt.
Mix well with your hands to incorporate.
Put the mixture on a wooden board and knead gently into a ball. At this point the dough should be smooth, soft and pliable and just a bit sticky. Knead in a little extra flour if dough is too sticky.
Flour the board lightly and break the dough into pieces the size of a small orange.
Shape pieces into rolls about the thickness of your thumb.
Cut rolls into 1-inch pieces.
Hold a fork with its tines resting against a work surface at a 45° angle and the inside curve toward you.
Take a little dumpling and press it with your index finger against the outside curve of the fork at the tip end.
Quickly slide dumpling up along the length of the tines, pressing with the index finger.
Remove finger and let dumpling fall back onto work surface. (Groves made by fork and finger indentation will absorb the sauce.)
Repeat with remaining dumplings.
Arrange dumplings on a floured tray or large plate.
Prepare the Sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
Add mushrooms in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the skillet or the mushrooms will stew instead of browning.
Saute over high heat, stirring, until they begin to color.
Add the garlic, anchovies and prosciutto and stir once or twice.
Add the wine.
Cook and stir until the wine is almost all reduced.
Season with salt and several twists of pepper.
Meanwhile, fill a very large saucepan two-thirds full with salted water.
Bring water to a boil.
Add the gnocchi. When gnocchi come back to the surface of the water cook 20 to 30 seconds.
Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon or strainer, draining against the side of saucepan.
Place gnocchi in skillet with mushrooms.
Add the butter and the gnocchi, sprinkle with parsley and mix well.
Serve at once. Makes 4 to 6 servings.