Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Sugo and Fresh Basil
This fabulous recipe is from Ellie and Sam Studd’s book The Best Things in Life are Cheese. Sam and Ellie will be joining us at Hill Street Sandy Bay on 14 and 15 June for Solstice with the Studds – a night filled with cheesy goodness. Book your tickets via link below. Sam and Ellie say: “These gnocchi are sooooo light and fluffy, and damn easy to make! TBH, we have stuffed up homemade gnocchi a few times but we have mastered these like true champions, so consider them foolproof! Don’t freak out about the gnocchi dough – it’s meant to be a moist batter, so you only need a small amount of flour to bind it. Use too much and the gnocchi will taste floury.”
How long will it take?
30 Minutes
What’s the serving size?
Serves 4
What do I need?
- Iced water
- 500 g fresh ricotta
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 100 g (²⁄³ cup) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 60 mL (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
- 3 x 400 g cans Italian cherry tomatoes
- Small bunch of basil, leaves picked
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- Japanese chilli oil or chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
How do I make it?
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over medium–high heat. Get a bowl of iced water ready and place it next to the stove.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, flour and salt and gently mix until a sticky, moist dough has formed. Working in batches, gently drop heaped teaspoons of the dough into the boiling water. The gnocchi will initially sink, but then rise to the top when they are ready – this will only take 5 minutes. As soon as they rise, scoop out the gnocchi using a slotted spoon and add to the iced water.
- Drain and wipe out the saucepan, then return it to medium–high heat.
- Add the olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and most of the basil and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium–low and simmer for 3–5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Using the slotted spoon, carefully transfer the gnocchi to the sauce and simmer for a further 3–5 minutes, until heated through.
- Divide the gnocchi and sugo among serving bowls, top with the Parmigiano Reggiano, remaining basil leaves and chilli of your choice, then serve.
Recipe provided by Sam & Ellie Studd from their book, The Best Things in Life are Cheese.
