Winter Comfort Food - Cranberry Sage Gnocchi
My children often run to grab the step stool to help me in the kitchen.
With several inches of fresh snow, winter holds on. Nothing is better than working in a toasty kitchen preparing comfort food for my family to enjoy this time of year. Although my children and husband are very complementary, the silence around the table says it all - which is always the case with this family favorite recipe.
What is gnocchi?
I thought gnocchi was potato noodles, until I came across this gnocchi recipe. “Gnoccho” actually translates “lump” so gnocchi encompasses a multitude of possible ingredients, not just potatoes! For years, I have made this family favorite, which removes the steps of peeling, cutting, boiling, and mashing potatoes.
My children are "cheeseheads” to the core, with “cheese melted to my plate” a favorite snack (when fresh cheese curds aren’t available) and cottage cheese pancakes the unanimous breakfast favorite (which I can’t wait to share about in a few more weeks). So swapping in ricotta cheese for this gnocchi recipe gets a gold star in my household. It also provides a more balanced meal, replacing a starch for protein.
Family favorite
We like the gnocchi so much, we have to double this recipe and rarely have any leftovers. As a result, I run out of counter space, so it helps to have another adult man the stove (pun intended as this is always my husband) while I finish rolling and cutting the gnocchi.
A bowl of gnocchi with cranberry sage sauce (background).
Recipe
Gnocchi:
My husband scoops out the gnocchi into a colander to drain.
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 t. salt
Chop up half of the cranberries as finely as possible. Mix with the salt and flour, then add the egg, Parmesan cheese, cranberries, and ricotta cheese. On a floured surface, knead the just until all the flour is mixed in. Divide the dough into fourths. Flour the surface well, to ensure the dough doesn’t stick, then roll each ball into a 3/4” diameter rope. Use a floured knife to cut the rope into 1” sections. Flatten each piece with a floured fork. Fill a large pot with 3 inches of salted water and bring to a hard boil. Gently place twenty pieces into the large pot until all the pieces are floating (about three minutes). Scoop out the gnocchi with a slotted spoon into a colander with a tray to collect the remaining water. Repeat this process with remaining gnocchi. Top the gnocchi with fresh grated Parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper, and sauce (recipe below).
The kids love helping in the kitchen, especially with this recipe. They are great at flattening up the gnocchi prior to cooking.
Sauce:
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 /2 cup of packed fresh, chopped sage
Saute the cranberries and sage in melted butter and oil for five minutes.
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