A fresh light and summery zucchini ricotta gnocchi with fresh basil and a hint of lemon.

Zucchini Ricotta Gnocchi

ingredients

• 4 cups zucchini, grated
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup loosely packed basil, sliced (optional)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup pecorino or parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup flour

directions

1. Mix the zucchini and salt, let drain in a colander for 20 minutes, place in tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
2. Mix the zucchini, basil, lemon, ricotta, egg, cheese and pepper and then mix in enough flour to form a dough that is not too sticky to work with.
3. Divide the dough, roll into 1 inch thick strings, slice into 1 inch pieces and roll over gnocchi board or fork using enough flour that the dough does not stick to everything.
4. Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until it floats, remove and enjoy in your favourite sauce.

Note: The trick to a nice light a fluffy gnocchi is to use as little flour as you can but the less flour that you use the more sticky the dough is and the harder it is to work with. Another problem with adding too little flour is that the gnocchi may fall apart when cooked. It is a good idea to test the gnocchi by cooking a couple, pulling them out as soon as they float in the boiling water, to make sure that they are holding together. The amount of moisture left in your zucchini and the different amounts of moisture in different batches of ricotta makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact amount of flour required for each batch of gnocchi so it is best to start with a little and keep adding until the dough gets tot he right consistency.

https://www.closetcooking.com/zucchini-ricotta-gnocchi/