Serves 3
Gnocchi
1 1/2 cups (one 15-ounce container) whole milk ricotta cheese
3 egg yolks
1 cup (about 4 ounces) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (about 1 ounce) freshly-grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
Put the ricotta in a large mixing bowl.
Mix dough ingredients. Add the egg yolks to the ricotta and stir briefly to combine. Add in the flour, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and stir until evenly combined. Avoid over-mixing. The dough will be a bit moist and maybe a bit sticky, but it should be holding together well. If it feels too wet, just add in another few tablespoons of flour.
Roll out and cut the dough. Shape the dough into a round disk with your hands, then transfer it to a lightly-floured cutting board and sprinkle the dough with lightly with flour. Using a knife , cut the dough into eight even pie wedges. Using your hands, gently roll out each wedge out into an even log, approximately 3/4-inch wide. Cut each log into individual bite-sized little gnocchi squares. Lightly dust the gnocchi with flour once more and give them a quick toss so that they are all lightly coated with flour. (This will help prevent them from sticking together.)
Boil the gnocchi. Carefully transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water to cook. Then once they float — usually after 30 seconds or so — drain the gnocchi.
Sage Brown Butter Sauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
20 large fresh sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced or very thinly sliced
2 handfuls chopped fresh kale leaves, tough stems removed (can use spinach too)
1 cup walnut halves (could also use pistachios, pepitas, sliced almonds)
lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Cook the gnocchi. Drain and set aside.
Prepare the sage brown butter sauce. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has nearly melted, add in the sage leaves. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until the butter has turned a light golden color and the sage leaves are crispy. (Keep a very close eye on the butter so that it does not burn!) Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
Put everything together. Then immediately add the cooked gnocchi to the brown butter sauce, and toss until it is evenly coated. Let the gnocchi rest and continue to cook for about 2 minutes, or until the gnocchi is golden and toasty on the bottom side. Then give it a flip, and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side until golden. Stir in the kale, walnuts, and toss to combine.
Serve. Remove from heat, taste, and season with extra salt and pepper if needed. Then serve warm, garnished with lots and lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.