Ricotta Gnocchi with Rich and Tasty Red Sauce

Name: Ricotta Gnocchi with Rich and Tasty Red Sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 square pork skin, about the size of a sheet of printer paper; Salt and pepper; 1 sprig rosemary; 1 anchovy fillet; 1 bay leaf; 1 small fresh or dried chile; 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 2 (28-ounce/796-ml) cans plum tomatoes; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion, finely diced; 8-inch (20-cm) square Parmesan cheese rind (optional); 1 whole egg; 1 egg yolk; 2 cups (455 g) fresh ricotta cheese; 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting; 1/4 cup (30 g) grated Parmesan cheese; Grated zest of 1/2 lemon; 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; Salt and pepper; 8 quarts (8 liters) water; 4 big handfuls ice cubes; 1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil

January 24, 2012

This red sauce is a steroid ingredient that we use to pump up wimpy dishes like gnocchi or in chicken gravy for a quick sauce chasseur. Most of our sauces are done this way, baked in a good French enameled cast-iron pot. We’re not too fussy about the type of tomatoes we use, just canned and whole; San Marzano will do. If you cannot obtain pig skin from your butcher, then a pig’s trotter, halved lengthwise, works, too. You could also add Smoked Baby Back Ribs (page 153) to the sauce before serving it with the gnocchi.

Recipe notes

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