Ñoquis (potato pasta balls)

Ñoquis are small balls of pasta that are served with sauce. The most popular sauce is tomato sauce (filetto) or meat sauce (bolognese), but you can serve with the sauce of your preference. Also you can substitute half of the potatoes with mashed squash, mashed sweet potatoes or boiled and chopped spinach.

3 cups of flour

6 potatoes (baking type), peeled and cubed
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
Salt

Boil the potatoes with salt to taste and when they are cooked, mash them and let them cool down.

On a flat kitchen counter, make a ring with the flour, and place in the center the potatoes, the eggs, and the ricotta and mix the central ingredient using your hands. Once the central part is well mixed, start incorporating the flour from the periphery into the dough until you add all the flour. Knead the dough a few times until uniform and you get a soft, pliable dough. The dough should not be sticky or hard. Divide the dough in 2 halves.

Sprinkle the work area with flour and roll the dough out into long thin snakes of about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut the snakes at 1 inch intervals with a knife.

Roll each small piece over a fork with the thumb and make some indentations in the surface, this will help to get more sauce attached to the pasta.

- You can freeze the ñoquis at this stage by laying them out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. After they are frozen, they can be stored in a freezer bag. To cook just add the frozen ñoquis into boiling water.

- Or you can cook them right away.

To cook boil water in a pot and add the ñoquis one at a time into the boiling water. They will float when ready. Remove them from the water with a draining spoon and transfer to a plate.