Dating and Ricotta Gnocchi
A Recipe for Love:
The best people are food people. And when it comes to dating, I am convinced the only people worth dating are the ones who like to eat. I genuinely believe that how a person cooks and eats is really indicative of how they would be as a partner.
So far, my personal experience dating (and eating) in New York has been reflective of living in New York itself. Each outing is an adventure featuring a cameo from a new character and a tasty bite: omakase with an amateaur gambler here (sensual and delicious, but with no long term potential), craft cocktails with an introspective comedian there (all drinks and no food is fun, but not sustainable). The Haitian food I ate with a professor in the city was incredible, but refusing to share your plate of food is an automatic no go for me. I even made myself an NYC dating bingo card which included all the tropes and treats I might partake in: an artist on the verge of making it big, sharing a pierogis on the boardwalk, meeting a first responder, momos in Jackson Heights, the list goes on. My bingo card may not be getting me any closer to winning the game of love, but I am on my way to a full blackout.
After all my trials and tribulations swiping through the apps and hours and hours setting up all these dates, I couldn’t help but wonder…are we doomed to search for love on a screen, or is another approach possible? I decided to take matters into my own hands and host my own singles night– one centered around food, the best barometer of love (IMO). After all, summer is made for lurve (not love, lurve) and I found myself newly unemployed, nosey and with lots of time on my hands. As Jennifer Lopez once said (in the 2000’s classic The Wedding Planner) those who can’t wed, plan and for me, can those who can’t date successfully …meddle?
I was excited to host an event for queer cuties only (the logistics of a more mixed event seemed very ominous, and honestly, creating a safe, happy space for women, non-binary and queer folks to get to know each other is the best thing to do during pride month). I gave the class a subtle name: “Eat In, Eat Out” and invited the cutest folks I knew and all of their friends.
I decided we should embark on making gnocchi, because those little pillowy balls of dough are soft, tactile and absolutely made for seducing someone. During the afternoon, hopefuls swapped places as they cooked and I tried to do one better than Hinge prompts by posing important questions like “do you identify as a kitchen top, or a kitchen bottom?” There were plenty of laughs, some intertwined fingers while cheese grating (a very Ghost moment), and cocktails on the deck. I can’t report on how much love was created (it all happened out of my purview), but I had a blast, and I think the singles did too. Because, even if you don’t find love, any day you do find yourself in front of a giant bowl of luscious gnocchi, everything is probably gonna be alright.
If you want to give this a try yourself, I implore you to go with this recipe here. The texture of this ricotta gnocchi is as sensual and tender as a great first kiss. Ricotta gnocchi, the cheesy cousin to the traditional potato gnocchi, is more decadent and way easier to make (perfect for when you want to impress in a pinch). The pasta itself is mostly cheese, but boasts a subtle bite that melts away luxuriously on the tongue. Enjoy!
Ricotta Gnocchi
Instructions:
Start by bringing some salted water to a boil while you work.
If you have time, drain your gnocchi in a cheesecloth for 8 hours, in the fridge. This helps to make a drier ricotta, and in turn a fluffier gnocchi. If you don’t have time, or plumb forgot to drain, don't fret! I often just use a clean dish towel to squeeze as much liquid as I can from the ricotta by placing the ricotta in the middle of the towel, gathering up the sides of the towel and wringing it gently until most of the liquid is out. Cheese should look drier and almost crumbly.
Place cheese in a bowl, and add your grated cheese, and egg to the drained ricotta cheese. Gently mix until combined. If adding nutmeg or lemon zest, also add that in now.
Sift flour in, a quarter cup at a time, mixing with a metal fork until the dough starts to come together. You may not need all of the flour, depending on how wet your Ricotta is, how humid the temperature is and your flour. For the fluffiest gnocchi, add in as little flour as possible, mixing as gently as possible. This helps prevent as much gluten from developing– gluten is the mortal enemy of fluffy gnocchi.
When it looks like the dough is coming together, pour dough out onto a floured work surface and gently knead so that it comes together in a ball. Dough should feel cool, but not sticky or tacky. Like play dough. Test a pinch of the dough by adding an acorn sized ball to your boiling water to see if it is able to stay together. It will be done when it bobs to the top. If the ball falls apart, add a bit more flour until it stays together while it cooks.
When dough is feeling good, roll it into a log and let sit for about 20 min to let all that goodness get to know one another. I like to make my sauce while my log rests.
Once rested, cut the dough into 4 equal portions. Then one by one, roll each portion into a rope roughly ½ inch thick, and then cut little ¾ inch gnocchis (About the size of the end of my pinky). As you finish the gnocchis, I like to have a tray lightly dusted with flour ready to go to deposit the gnocchis on.
When you have a batch ready (a 1/4 of the log), add to boiling water until they float to the top. Remove from water, and add your favorite sauce, and enjoy!
Pro tip: make a big batch and freeze, so you can enjoy them in a pinch! To reheat frozen gnocchis, simply boil until they bob to the surface. No need to defrost.
Ingredients:
1 pound ricotta (1 tub)
Up to 110 grams/ a little over 1 cup All Purpose flour (I like King Arthur's flour)
1 egg
1 heaping cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, or pecorino cheese for a more pungent gnocchi
Optional: lemon zest, and or fresh nutmeg
Sauce:
I love a pesto (pictured above), a brown butter sage sauce or a simple fresh tomato sauce paired with plenty of fresh cracked pepper!
