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1
Spoon the ricotta into a large, fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee filter.
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2
Set the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap.
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3
Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator at least overnight, or up to 24 hours.
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4
Discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
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5
Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.
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6
Turn the drained ricotta into a mixing bowl.
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7
Beat the eggs and 1 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl until foamy.
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8
Stir the eggs, 1/2 cup grated cheese, pepper, and nutmeg into the ricotta with a wooden spoon or spatula until thoroughly blended.
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9
Gradually add as much of the flour as necessary to form a soft and sticky dough.
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10
Ricotta-gnocchi dough is always soft and stickydont work in so much flour that you have a firm or smooth dough, or the gnocchi will be tough and heavy.
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11
Divide the dough into six approximately equal pieces.
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12
Roll one of the dough pieces out with a back-and-forth movement of your palms and fingers to a rope about 1/2 inch wide.
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13
Flour your hands, the work surface, and the dough lightly, as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.
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14
Cut the roll cross-wise into 1/4-inch lengths.
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15
Repeat with the remaining dough.
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16
Dust the cut gnocchi lightly with flour and toss them gently to separate.
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17
Let them stand while preparing the sauce.
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18
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
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19
Add the prosciutto, basil, and pine nuts and cook, stirring, until the pine nuts are lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
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20
Pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream, bring to a boil, and boil until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
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21
Remove from the heat while cooking the gnocchi.
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22
Stir the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the boiling water, stirring gently but constantly.
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23
Return to a boil, stirring frequently.
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24
Cook, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until they float to the top and are tender, about 5 minutes.
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25
If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and gnocchi, fish the gnocchi out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and add them directly to the sauce in the skillet.
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26
If not, drain the gnocchi gently, return them to the pot, and pour in the sauce.
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27
Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring gently to coat the gnocchi with sauce.
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28
Stir in the whipped cream, remove from the heat, and stir in the grated cheese.
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29
Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary, and serve immediately.
