By Kurt Winner

Chef sauteing gnocchi

Greater Phoenix has a secret, and I’m going to share it with you. The Farm at South Mountain is a 12 acre complex consisting of a bakery, restaurants, a farm (obviously), expansive lawns shaded by pecan trees and Quiessence Restaurant and Wine Bar. Here I experienced an outstanding dinner. Chef/Owner Gregory LaPrad and Executive Chef Anthony Andiario prepare what is seasonally at peak and  of the highest quality available, from-scratch plates. The result is truly delicious, fresh food made with care. You definitely won’t see any “factory food” delivery trucks off-loading here.  A lot of the ingredients come from Maya’s farm located on the grounds, so you will likely have a salad consisting of greens and other ingredients picked only a few hours earlier that day. Local sourcing is unmistakable in the food that comes out of the kitchen. It is so fresh and vibrant that the ingredients stand on their own. Nothing served here needs any heavy handed seasoning to bring it up to the next level.

The savory house made charcuterie, artisan breads, and pillow-y gnocchi make it hard to decide on what to write about, but I have made my decision, albeit a tough one. I really enjoyed the hand rolled ricotta gnocchi, so here I share one of my favorite recipes with you. I have added a couple of my own touches, but this recipe is reminiscent of the \style of food you’ll experience at Quiessence. The key here is to get the right consistency of the dough before boiling, and please-do not overcook these little gems. The extra work and patience pays off in every respect. Let’s cook…

Rolling gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi with Beurre Noire (Brown Butter) And Crispy Sage Leaves

2 cups whole-milk ricotta

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano set aside ½ cup

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 1/4 cups whole wheat  flour

1/2 stick unsalted butter ( barely melted but very soft for mixing)

Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

6 quarts boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt

Parchment lined baking dish for the pre-cooked gnocchi

Beurre Noire and Crispy Sage Sauce-This can be made as the water comes up to a boil

1 stick clarified butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1-2 tbsp pure cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)-can be found in the Mexican section of your local store

4-6 large sage leaves, cut into matchstick sized strips

Ricotta Gnocchi:

Combine all ingredients except for the flour and mix until just incorporated. Next add the flour slowly until the mixture is like a soft wet dough, Don’t over mix, you want the dumplings to remain fluffy.   Flour your hands and on a floured surface roll into a long tube about ¾ of an inch thick. Cut into small bite size pieces and press gently with the tines of a fork for decoration if  you so choose.  Place on a  foil-lined baking sheet.

The gnocchi should be cooked in two batches, so they are not too crowded in the pot. Add to the water when it’s at a rolling boil. Boil until they start to rise to the surface of the water, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a colander to drain.

Beurre Noire with Crispy Fried Sage:

Place the butter and salt in a heavy frying pan on medium high heat until it begins to turn slightly golden, if the butter starts to smoke a lot, remove the pan from the heat and lower the temperature and continue.  Add the sugar to brown and caramelize with the butter. Next add all the other ingredients and cook until the sage becomes just crispy. Keep an eye on this you want brown butter not burned butter.  Plate the gnocchi in a small bowl, dress with the brown butter sage and finally garnish with some of the reserved grated cheese.  For the latest menus and events point your browser to: www.quiessencerestaurant.com.

 Photographs courtesy Quiessence website