ricotta gnocchi with peas, fava beans and mint
What a joy it is to find fresh peas and fava/broad beans at the market! It heralds the start of Spring when trees start to bud and the air is lighter and happier. I love podding beans. It is so relaxing. I put on jazz or a podcast and sip on herbal tea as I pod away, a few sweet green jewels finding their way into my mouth. I especially love the “pop” the peas. Fresh peas and fava beans so lovely on their own but I love to marry them with pasta or gnocchi, fresh herbs and cheese. They sing out Spring and the warmth in the air even more.
I love this combination with ricotta gnocchi. I first made them following the recipe by Fabrizia Lanza in her cookbook “Coming home to Sicily”. Fabrizia is a beautiful soul. I had the privilege of running a couple of 5-day workshops at her famed cooking school in central Sicily in 2016 and 2017. What a joyful and memorable time that was….sigh, I miss Sicily. If you have never heard of Fabrizia or been to the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School (where everything you make and eat is grown locally and made from scratch), you can find out more here. It should seriously be on every foodie’s bucket list.
In the meantime, the recipe below is based on Fabrizia’s recipe. It serves 3-4 people and is lovely and light. And very pretty as well.
ricotta gnocchi with peas, fava beans and mint
450g ricotta, well drained
1 large egg
3 - 4 tablespoons plain flour
2 - 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated (plus extra to serve)
1 egg, lightly whisked and mixed with
fine semolina, for dusting
100g butter, unsalted
a couple of handfuls each fresh podded peas & fava/broad beans handful baby mint leaves 1 small lemon, zest only (optional)
To make the gnocchi place the ricotta and egg in a bowl and mash with a fork until creamy. Add flour and parmesan and stir; the mixture will be quite soft but should stay together. Place a handful of the mixture on a working surface that has been well dusted with the semolina and roll into a long rope. Cut into pieces 2-3 cm and roll in more semolina. Repeat with remaining ricotta mix and set aside, spaced out and covered in a clean tea towel.
Double pod the older/larger fava beans by plunging individual beans in boiling salted water for a minute; then drain and remove the outer pod. Blanch the peas and smaller/younger fava beans in salted boiling water for a minute, then drain.
Place a large frying pan on the stove on low to medium heat and melt the butter.
Bring a large wide pot of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi in batches, draining them with a slotted spoon as the rise to the surface and placing them in the large pan with the melted butter.
Gently toss the cooked gnocchi in the butter and scatter on the peas and fava beans until warmed through. Serve topped with mint leaves, extra grated parmesan and lemon zest.