Ingredients Bread + Dough Ricotta Gnocchi Gratin 1.0 (1) 5 Reviews Chef Geoffrey Zakarian uses a stand mixer to make his perfectly fluffy gnocchi with ricotta cheese. Slideshow: More Pasta Recipes By Geoffrey Zakarian Geoffrey Zakarian F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Chef and partner at The Lambs Club and The National Bar & Dining Rooms (New York); The Water Club (Atlantic City) Education: Culinary Institute of America What is the dish you’re most famous for? Escargot risotto. What’s the first dish you cooked for yourself? A grilled steak when I was eight. Really, I was eight! On a charcoal grill, the real deal. It is a good dish for beginners. Who is your food mentor? I’ve had so many. Alain Sailhac at Le Cirque, Daniel Boulud, Alain Passard. But I always remember working for Jacques Maximin in France. The way it works there is you have the same staff, but you close after lunch and have a few hours off before you open for dinner. He would organize soccer games behind the restaurant and play along with everyone else. He was so competitive, but he was so committed to bringing the staff together and having a good time. I’ve always remembered that. Do you have any hidden talents? I have many! But really, I play classical piano. What’s your current food obsession? Cooking with cast-iron pans. It never goes out of style. You don’t really use it in a restaurant kitchen, but for home, it’s just so reliable and so good. It’s also a good source of iron—when you cook in cast iron, small amounts get imparted into your food. So it’s great if you have low iron, or especially for pregnant women. Do you have any shift rituals or superstitions? I’m not superstitious, but I shake the hand of everyone who works for me every day—from the line cooks to the hostesses. What’s going to be the big thing in five years? French cuisine. Not necessarily the white tablecloth, fine-dining aspect of it, but I think people want a connection to what they’re eating. As a reaction to foams and molecular cuisine, people are going to move back toward the classic French-style dishes. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 1, 2016 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © John Kernick Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 6 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg Kosher salt Pepper 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing One 4 ounce piece of pancetta, finely chopped 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 30 sage leaves 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest Directions In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the ricotta with the 2/3 cup of Parmigiano, the whole egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper at medium speed until blended. With the machine on low, gradually add the 1 1/4 cups of flour until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until a tacky dough forms, about 1 minute. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and pat into a mass. Dust the top with flour, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and dust with flour. On a floured surface, cut the dough into 4 pieces; gently roll each into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 1-inch lengths and transfer to the baking sheet. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with oil. In a large pot of simmering salted water, cook one-third of the gnocchi over moderate heat until they rise to the surface, then cook for 2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi. Preheat the oven to 200°. In a large skillet, cook one-third of the pancetta in 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered but the pancetta is not crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter and cook, stirring, until it just starts to brown and smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Add 10 sage leaves; cook until crisp, 20 seconds. Add one-third of the gnocchi and cook, undisturbed, until golden on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a metal spatula, flip the gnocchi and cook until browned, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and a pinch of the orange zest; season with salt and pepper. Using a spatula or slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi, pancetta and sage to a large ovenproof serving dish. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet over the gnocchi; keep warm in the oven. Pour off the remaining fat from the skillet. Repeat the whole process 2 more times. Sprinkle Parmesan over the gnocchi and serve. Make Ahead The boiled gnocchi can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Suggested Pairing Rich, fruit-forward Chardonnay. Rate it Print