Tobie Puttock’s Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter | Denis Walter Afternoons
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 350g fresh ricotta
- 1 free-range egg
- 60g freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/3 cup of plain flour
- Semolina flour for dusting
- 80g butter
- 20 sage leaves
- Extra pecorino or Parmesan for grating
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Method
Pop the ricotta into a sieve sitting over a large bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for about an hour to remove excess moisture.
Place the ricotta into a large mixing bowl and fold in the egg, pecorino, nutmeg, and the flour. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together and then season with salt to taste. Cover and place into the fridge for around 30 mins to allow to chill.
Remove the ricotta mixture from the fridge and dust a clean bench with semolina flour. Take a handful of the ricotta mixture and roll it out into a sausage shape around the size of a ten-cent piece, repeat for the remainder of the mixture and then cut each roll into 2cm lengths to form little pillows. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
Melt the butter over a medium heat in a pan large enough to hold all the gnocchi side by side without overcrowding them. Once the butter has melted and starts to froth a little bit you con carefully drop the gnocchi into the water.
Add the sage to the butter and reduce the heat right down to the lowest setting.
Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon (as the gnocchi will be delicate pouring them into a strainer may ruin them) and place them carefully into the pan with the butter.
Allow the gnocchi to crisp up; this will take a minute or two at which time you can use a spatula to turn them over repeating for the other side.
Once golden and crispy on both sides arrange the gnocchi between your plates scattering over the now crispy sage, drizzling the remaining nutty butter over the gnocchi and finishing with a little more freshly grated Parmesan.