Plush ricotta pillows seared until golden, served over a silky leek cream and finished with nutty brown butter, crisp sage and a dramatic dusting of charred leek ash.
Ricotta Pillows with Silky Leek Cream and Charred Leek Ash
Plush ricotta gnocchi seared to a golden crust, served on a velvety leek cream and finished with nutty brown butter, crisp sage, and a dramatic dusting of homemade leek ash.
This is the kind of dish that feels restaurant-level but is perfectly at home on a weeknight: light ricotta “gnocchi” — more pillow than dumpling — that cook quickly and sear up beautifully. The contrast of a tender interior and a caramelized exterior is the whole point here, and the rest of the plate is built to highlight that texture: a silky leek cream beneath and a punchy finish on top.
The dough is gloriously simple: whole-milk ricotta, an egg, grated Parmesan, salt, pepper and just enough flour to hold it together. Keep it soft and a little sticky — overworking or adding too much flour turns these from plush to heavy. If the mixture won’t shape, a quick chill fixes everything. Make one test piece to check seasoning and texture before shaping the rest.
Leeks do double duty: the white and light-green parts are slowly sweated into a rich cream with a splash of cream and a squeeze of lemon, which brings brightness and silkiness under the gnocchi. The dark-green tops get the showy treatment — char them under a broiler or in a hot skillet until blackened, then scrape and pulse to a dry, crumbly ‘leek ash.’ It’s dramatic, savory, and visually arresting — use it sparingly for color and concentrated leek flavor.
Cook the pillows in a hot pan with a little olive oil and butter until each side is golden, then finish with browned butter and crisped sage leaves for toasty, herbaceous notes. Spoon the leek cream onto warm plates, nestle the seared gnocchi on top, scatter sage and a grating of Parmesan, and dust with leek ash. The cream can be made ahead and reheated gently, and the dough benefits from a brief chill, so this plate comes together gracefully when you’re ready to serve.
Ingredients
How to Make Market Leek Ash Ricotta Ravioli Style Gnocchi
- Trim and wash leeks thoroughly; separate the white/light-green sections from the dark green tops. Slice the whites thin for the cream sauce and reserve the greens for the ash.
- Char the reserved dark-green leek tops: spread them on a rimmed sheet pan and broil 6–10 minutes (or char in a hot cast-iron skillet) until deeply blackened; let cool, then scrape the char into a small bowl and pulse briefly in a mini food processor with a pinch of salt to a dry, crumbly 'leek ash.' Set aside.
- Make the leek cream: heat 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium, add the sliced leek whites and sweat 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent; add the heavy cream and 2–3 tbsp water, simmer 5 minutes, then blend until silky; season with 1–2 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and a good crack of black pepper and keep warm.
- Mix the ricotta gnocchi dough: in a bowl combine ricotta, the egg, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg if using. Fold in the flour gradually until the mixture just holds together into a soft, slightly sticky dough (you may not need all the flour). Chill 10 minutes if too soft to handle.
- Shape the gnocchi: dust a work surface with flour, roll dough into 3/4-inch ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Press each piece lightly with a fork or thumb to flatten slightly (this gives a 'ravioli-style' pillow that sears nicely). Keep on a lightly floured tray.
- Cook the gnocchi: bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil; cook gnocchi in batches until they float plus 30–60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towels.
- Finish in brown butter: melt the remaining butter (about 6 tbsp) with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until nutty-brown. Add sage leaves and crisp 20–30 seconds, then add gnocchi in a single layer and sear 1–2 minutes per side until golden—tilt skillet and spoon butter over the gnocchi to glaze.
- Plate and finish: spoon a pool of warm leek cream onto plates, arrange seared gnocchi on top, drizzle with browned butter and a few crisp sage leaves. Sprinkle grated Parmesan, lemon zest, a pinch of the leek ash for color and an extra crack of black pepper; serve immediately.
Recipe Card
Market Leek Ash Ricotta Ravioli Style Gnocchi
Plush ricotta pillows seared until golden, served over a silky leek cream and finished with nutty brown butter, crisp sage and a dramatic dusting of charred leek ash.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim and wash leeks thoroughly; separate the white/light-green sections from the dark green tops. Slice the whites thin for the cream sauce and reserve the greens for the ash.
- Char the reserved dark-green leek tops: spread them on a rimmed sheet pan and broil 6–10 minutes (or char in a hot cast-iron skillet) until deeply blackened; let cool, then scrape the char into a small bowl and pulse briefly in a mini food processor with a pinch of salt to a dry, crumbly 'leek ash.' Set aside.
- Make the leek cream: heat 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium, add the sliced leek whites and sweat 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent; add the heavy cream and 2–3 tbsp water, simmer 5 minutes, then blend until silky; season with 1–2 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and a good crack of black pepper and keep warm.
- Mix the ricotta gnocchi dough: in a bowl combine ricotta, the egg, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg if using. Fold in the flour gradually until the mixture just holds together into a soft, slightly sticky dough (you may not need all the flour). Chill 10 minutes if too soft to handle.
- Shape the gnocchi: dust a work surface with flour, roll dough into 3/4-inch ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Press each piece lightly with a fork or thumb to flatten slightly (this gives a 'ravioli-style' pillow that sears nicely). Keep on a lightly floured tray.
- Cook the gnocchi: bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil; cook gnocchi in batches until they float plus 30–60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towels.
- Finish in brown butter: melt the remaining butter (about 6 tbsp) with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until nutty-brown. Add sage leaves and crisp 20–30 seconds, then add gnocchi in a single layer and sear 1–2 minutes per side until golden—tilt skillet and spoon butter over the gnocchi to glaze.
- Plate and finish: spoon a pool of warm leek cream onto plates, arrange seared gnocchi on top, drizzle with browned butter and a few crisp sage leaves. Sprinkle grated Parmesan, lemon zest, a pinch of the leek ash for color and an extra crack of black pepper; serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 34
- Saturated Fat
- 31
- Sodium
- 900
- Fiber
- 1.5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 26
- Protein
- 24
- Fat
- 57
- Cholesterol
- 210
- Trans Fat
- 0.4
- Calories
- 740
- Sugar
- 5