Basil Ricotta Dumplings & Creamy Peas

By sandy_h

From Eating Well March 2019. Use 2 spoons to form your dumplings into shapely ovals, aka quenelles. Scoop a dollop of the ricotta mixture from one spoon onto the other, until you end up with a smooth football-shaped dumpling.

Ingredients

• 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped pancetta or bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1/2 cup light cream
• Shaved Parmesan cheese & pea shoots for garnish

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 40mins

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Dust a large baking sheet with flour. Line another baking sheet with paper towels.

Stir ricotta, egg yolks, flour, basil, pepper, and salt together into about 20 oblong dumplings, or quenelles, using about 1 heaping Tablespoon for each. Place them on the floured pan.

Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and cook until they begin to float, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper-towel-lined pan.

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the dumplings and cook, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil and dumplings.

Add pancetta (or bacon) and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve the dumplings with the sauce, garnished with Parmesan, pea shoots and more basil, if desired.