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Ricotta Dumplings With Buttered Peas and Asparagus
![Ricotta Dumplings With Buttered Peas and Asparagus](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/05/08/dining/06romanrex/merlin_154236198_f306e3c5-29e4-4efd-b2ca-602531730222-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2cups whole-milk ricotta
- 2large eggs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ¾cup all-purpose flour
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1bunch asparagus, woody ends removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2cups shelled fresh or frozen peas
- 3cups pea shoots or leaves, thick stems removed
- ¼cup parsley or mint leaves, for serving
- Parmesan or pecorino, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Step 2
Combine ricotta and eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using a large wooden or metal spoon, gently mix in the flour, taking care not to overmix (which could result in tough dumplings).
- Step 3
Meanwhile, heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks have softened completely and are starting to pick up some color, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Step 4
Add asparagus and peas to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until asparagus is just tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on its thickness. Remove from heat while you cook the dumplings.
- Step 5
When the water is at a nice steady boil, drop the ricotta mixture into the pot by the heaping spoonful. (The dumplings will expand in the water, so make them slightly smaller than you’d like them to end up.) Be careful not to crowd the pot; cook the dumplings in batches if need be.
- Step 6
Once the dumplings rise to the top, let them boil until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can always pull one out and cut it in half to test its doneness; the texture will go from dense and doughy to light and pillowy.)
- Step 7
As the dumplings finish cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the skillet with the peas and asparagus. Once they’re all in there, give everything a quick toss over medium heat just to evenly coat the dumplings in the buttery sauce. Add pea shoots and toss just to wilt slightly.
- Step 8
Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top with parsley, cheese and more olive oil, if you like.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Hint about the dumplings: They benefit from sitting for about 20 minutes so that the flour absorbs the moisture from the egg and cheese. If you make them immediately, they will fall apart.
Skip the dumplings - not worth the time, and difficult to get right! Simply prepare the vegetables (add garlic, chives & lemon juice) and serve over pasta - top w/ ricotta and/or Parmesan!
Delicious. I took someone else's advice and put a little lemon zest in the dumpling batter; the market had lovely fresh favas so I subbed those for the peas; and we had no pea shoots so I used spinach. Will make again.
It’s best not to put the dumpings in boiling water; I actually more or less poach them in almost boiling water. The dumplings don’t fall apart so easily then. They will take a little longer to cook.
What could substitute for the pea shoots? This looks tasty but I don't have a source for the pea shoots. Thanks.
Great recipe, especially if you don't overcook the peas and asparagus. I passed a bowl of chopped, toasted walnuts, along with the parmesan, for woodsy depth and crunch.
Two gluten free flours that I have used successfully as substitutes are Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 and King Arthur's Measure to Measure.
I'd suggest added some finely grated parmesan to the dough to boos the flavor.
This is amazing. I did add finely chopped basil to the dumpling mix. Used green garlic instead of leeks (didn’t have it), and while sautéing them, added just a little crushed red pepper (I love spicy food). Otherwise made as directed. Very easy, and didn’t take much time. Right now pea shoots are at farmers’ markets.
I have never heard of "way too many dumplings."
I intend to lay the egg and ricotta mixture out fairly flat, kinda all around the inside of the bowl in an even thickness, and the dust 1/3 of the flour all over that. fold it all back into the middle and repeat. then maybe fold it onto of its self 3-4 times to form a bit of gluten. See how that turns out. Figure after you make this 3 times you'll have it about perfect! Good luck!
I found these to be very bland, even with plenty of salt and pepper, so I added some grated Parmesan to the dough, and that helped a lot. This recipe is similar to one I often make and recommend: https://food52.com/recipes/33091-gnocchi-verde-spinach-and-ricotta-dumplings
Basically, these dumplings are a variation on the Tuscan gnudi, also known as ravioli malfatti ("badly made ravioli"--since they involve no pasta wrappers).
I made this twice. The first time, the dumplings were a little bland. The second time I added some crumbled feta, much better.
Pea shoots can be grown as a micro green. Easy to grow and taste wonderful. They are packed with nutrients too.
Made with a jammy cherry tomato sauce. Need to make smaller dumplings, smaller than I thought. Many were doughy in the center. And needed more salt. Curious to keep making this and getting better.
Add lemon zest and garlic powder to the dumpling mix, makes them delicious. After I boiled them I pan seared them in a buttery pan which gave them a bit of color and irresistible but of crunch. The veggies I followed the recipe but added chopped hazelnuts at the end. All the family raved over it even my teenage niece and nephew!
Incredible recipe!
Delicious! Even with resting and a tbsp extra flour the dumplings were falling apart, but making them ahead of time and allowing them to cool before adding to the pan with veggies allowed them to firm up and stay together.
This is a genuinely quick recipe, particularly if you mix your dumplings then chop your veg. It is not that tasty, but if you like your ricotta as is you will like your dumplings. If you don’t, think about what to add. I made as per the recipe and I wish I’d added some lemon.
Agree with comments. The dumplings fell apart in the boiling water. Ended up with dumplings mush. Thanks to suggestions will try again with Mark Bittman's ricotta gnochi.
I'm pretty sure she says to let the dumpling mix rest for at least 20 minutes...I don't know how I would know that otherwise. But if you let it rest at least 20 minutes they will hold. You can wash and chop your veggies during the resting period.
Hi! Made these again yesterday but this time, let the dough sit about 36 hours before plopping the little pieces into boiling water. It made it easier to work with them and they did not fall apart. Recommend mixing up the dumplings day before and then using after they have chance to rest. Then put the dumplings in pan after the leeks, in lots of butter, and they get a little bit crispy on edges. They were great with the leeks, some wilted chard leaves and a lot of fresh basil on top. Great!!!
Almost Posh Nosh
Love this recipe! I have had no luck with the dumplings so use DeCecco potato gnocchi instead. Probably missing a lot of flavor…… however my version is still Delicious!
Took LOTS of suggestions from many reviewers - made Mark Bittman's ricotta dumplings per Janet's suggestion, adding lemon zest, chopped basil, & 3-4 dashes of red chili pepper flakes which were all very much appreciated. SO tasty! Dried the ricotta amongst 3-ply paper towels. Just had asparagus & fresh garden peas (leek was rotten from store). Might try shallots next time. Delicious & quite filling!
This was easy to make and the dish was lovely and doable for a week night. The kids liked it. I made the dough before I did any other prep, so it had time to sit. They came out pillowy. They do need to have lots of salt to get flavor. Next time I will try adding the parmesan to the dumplings to give them more taste.
Got all the vegetables at the Farmers Market today with no plan. Searched this site for “peas” and found this in my saved recipes. Made it with shelf stable gnocchi, mint from the pot on my deck, and pecorino. It was perfect!
CSA had fresh pea shoots, asparagus, spring onions, chives, and mint so this was an obvious one. Supplemented with frozen peas. Delicious.
Zest of two lemons, plus thin sliced basil, finely grated parmesan, a little salt and lots of coarse black pepper in the dumplings. 30+ minute wait time. Sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, frozen peas, scallions (no leeks) with generous lemon juice finish for veg. No pea tendrils so lost the beauty of photo, but taste was fine with wilted spinach. Finished with chopped parsley and toasted walnuts. Thanks to all the previous commenters, this was a five-star meal. Unusual and company-worthy.
Dumplings were bland. Peas overwhelmed the asparagus. Couldn’t find pea shoots so subbed kale strips. Wish I had used more kale and fewer peas.
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