Ricotta Gnocchi and Scallops

I was watching Iron Chef and Cat Cora made ricotta gnocchi with some sweet butternut squash sauce and scallops. Because butternut squash is out of season and Iron Chef doesn't post their recipes, I had to come up with something on my own.

Here it is..richotta gnocchi and scallops with sweet corn, basil, walnuts, and brown butter. Holy cow is it good!

Ingredients
1 pound ricotta cheese, drained
1 egg
1 C shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 C flour
1 t nutmeg

1 C sweet corn, cut off the stalks
1 T butter

3 T butter
1/4 C walnuts
15 basil leaves (I tore mine right from the plant in the garden)

2 scallops
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Directions
Ricotta Gnocchi
If your ricotta cheese is wet (you can buy it dry at Whole Foods), you'll have to wrap it in cheese cloth and hang it over a bowl to drain overnight.

Once dry, place the ricotta cheese in a bowl. Add the egg, parmesan cheese, salt, flour, and nutmeg. Mix together really well. Using either a pastry bag or a ziploc bag, fill it with the mixture. If using a ziploc, cut off the end so you can squeeze the mixture through.

Coat a cookie sheet with a pile of flour. Squeeze the mixture into one inch logs onto the flour. Coat the logs in flour and roll into balls.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Drop balls into the water. They rise to the top when they're finished cooking. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place in a warm oven to keep warm.

Spring Corn
Warm up the corn and butter in a small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep on low until ready to use.

Brown Butter Sauce
Place butter, basil, and walnuts in a pan. Melt the butter and cook until it begins to turn brown.

Scallops
Carefully coat the scallops with salt and pepper. In a heated cast-iron pan coated with olive oil, place the coated side down. While it's cooking, add salt and pepper to the other side. Cook on medium high heat until a nice brown crust is created. Flip over and cook the other side.

Assembly
Place six to eight gnocchi in the bottom of a bowl. Add the corn and sauce. Top with scallops.

I know this looks like a lot of work, but it took less than 30 minutes, from beginning to end. And it's better than anything you can get in a restaurant. YUMMY!

Corn Chowder

(Picture to come)

There is nothing better than crisp, cool mornings and a pot of soup simmering on the stove. If you like corn and you like cream-based soups, this is an easy and delicious one for you!

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

6-8 sprigs of thyme (just the leaves, not the stems)

1/4 tsp rosemary (finally chopped)

1/4 C flour

8 cups vegetable stock

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

6 ears of corn

Salt

Pepper

1/4 C Cream

1/4 C chopped parsley

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Fire up the grill - about 500 degrees - and place the corn directly on the grate. If corn is in season, you can grill directly in the husk. Otherwise I buy frozen corn on the cob and grill it in tin foil. Don't cook all the way through - just about six minutes on two sides.

Over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil in a stock pan. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Cook until the onion is translucent (about 10 minutes). Add flour and stir to mix well so there are no lumps. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. After the corn is finished (let it cool a bit), cut it off the cob. Add to the soup and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add cream and let it warm through. Add the salt, pepper, parsley, and cheese. Serve.