Pairing Wine with Pesto Ricotta Gnocchi

Choosing the best wine for your dish

Homemade Pesto Gnocchi Recipe

After college, I traveled to Italy with my boyfriend (now husband) and fell in love with the country....and gnocchi. I loved the history. Gnocchi in Italian basically means knot and describes the shape of gnocchi perfection. I was inspired to make homemade gnocchi myself, and now I can't go back to store bought! It sounds intimidating, and timely, but it's actually reasonably quick! Making homemade gnocchi is also a great date night dinner to make with your partner. It's a great excuse for opening a bottle of wine, creating ambient lighting and eating some seriously delicious gnocchi.  One of the easiest gnocchi recipes that I have found is Ricotta Pesto Gnocchi (even if that means you have to use store bought because you ran out of time!).

The reason this gnocchi is so simple is because it only requires a few ingredients. And, they're inexpensive ingredients. You'll simply mix all of the ingredients together, knead the dough and roll it out into long finger-sized rolls. At this point, you'll slice the dough up into 3/4 inch long pieces. You have the choice to go the extra mile by making your own homemade pesto with the gnocchi.  If not, no problem. Use store-bought pesto and you're still dining well.

Recipe: 

2 pounds of ricotta cheese

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Creamy Pesto Sauce

1 cup grated Romano Cheese

In a large mixing bowl, mix the Ricotta and eggs.  Gradually add the flour, salt, and pepper. Knead well on a floured board.  Roll into finger-size rolls and cut into pieces about 3/4 inches long. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stirring gently from time to time to make sure they are separated. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain. You can serve them immediately with your favorite sauce or my favorite way: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the cooked gnocchi in a large glass rimmed baking dish and top with the creamy pesto. Sprinkle the top with a cup of grated Romano, then bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown! 

Choosing your Wine 

When researching wine pairings with gnocchi, you'll definitely get a variety of answers. And to be honest, it's up to you what kind of wine you want to pair with your dinner. Everyone has their own preferences. A popular wine with pesto gnocchi tends to be Chardonnay, but contrary to beliefs, it doesn't pair well with the herbaceousness of the dish. Read more about that here https://www.intowine.com/best-wine-pair-pesto-pasta-sauce.  A well-known wine pairing is Sauvignon Blanc.  It's usual grassy and grapefruit notes do really well with pesto gnocchi. I mention this because it is something wildly favorable and easily accessible at any local wine store.



BUT! My choice for pairing is unique. It's a Greek wine. So, if this is something you can find, I recommend it with this Pesto Ricotta Gnocchi. It is Assyrtiko Santorini Santo Wine. You can find more information on this wine here: https://www.astorwines.com/SearchResultsSingle.aspx?p=1&search=36693&searchtype=Contains. This wine region is so unique and fun to learn about! It is very windy, so they have trained the vines to grow low to the ground in basket-like formations. Regardless, my biggest recommendation is to use this as a tool. Try something new and see what you like best!

For other recipes, check out https://fullandsavory.blogspot.com/