Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe
Servings 2
Equipment
- 1 Large Baking Tray
- 1 Baking Paper
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 fork
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 1 Sharp knife To cut gnocchi dough
- 1 Dough cutter
- 1 Large frypan
- 1 large pot For cooking gnocchi
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Rubber spatula To scrape ricotta mixture into pan
Ingredients
- ½ kg Fresh ricotta cheese 17.6oz
- 300 grams 00 flour 10.5oz
- 1 piece Free-range egg
- 200 gram Pecorino Romano cheese + 3 tablespoons pecorino 7oz. For gnocchi dough
- 1 Black pepper
Instructions
- Gnocchi cacio e pepe is literally irresistible – let’s start with the gnocchi. First, prep a baking tray or two by lining them with a sheet of baking paper.
- Add the fresh ricotta cheese to a bowl, breaking down the large chunks with a fork; this will make it easier to mix.
- Next, add 3 tablespoons of pecorino Romano cheese to the ricotta and mix well.
- Add half of the 00 flour to the mixture and combine before adding the egg to the dry ingredients and mixing these through too.
- Now add the remaining flour and knead the dough in the bowl.
- Once the dough has started to form, move it to your counter/wooden board and knead it on this directly.
- When the dough has combined, form it into a large ball, cover it with your mixing bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter.
- At this point, add 5L water to a large pot and place it on your stove to boil.
- Once the dough has rested, sprinkle flour on both sides of the dough, then stretch it with a rolling pin until it is about half an inch thick.
- Cut the dough into 1-inch-thick strips using a sharp knife, then sprinkle more flour onto them.
- Lightly flour your surface then roll the strips into "snakes" starting at the middle and moving your hands outward, so the roll is more even in thickness.
- Use a dough cutter (or sharp knife) to create little pillows for your cacio e pepe gnocchi, making sure to dust them with flour so they don't stick together. In between cutting the dough, flour the counter.
- Put a frypan on the stove at medium-low heat and add as much fresh ground black pepper as you like to the pan leaving it to toast.
- Next add 200g of pecorino into a mixing bowl along with some extra pepper.
- While toasting the black pepper, your water should now be boiling so add as many gnocchi as you like into the pot, cooking them until they float to the top.
- Now, don’t forget to save a mug of pasta water for the sauce! Scoop it up and put it to the side.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water into the bowl of pecorino and mix using a spatula, then add another 3 tablespoons and continue mixing.
- Add the rest of the cooking water to the pan with toasted black pepper, then add your cooked gnocchi using a slotted spoon or hand sieve.
- Gently stir the gnocchi in the pan and wait until most of the water evaporates; this step is important for making the cacio e pepe sauce – just make sure you keep the heat medium to low.
- Remove the large pan from the heat and using a spatula add the pecorino mixture to the pan. Mix well (but gently) while the pan is still hot until a creamy sauce covers the gnocchi.