Lovely easy cheesy dumplings that can be partially made up to a day in advance then gently fried and served up with all sorts of stuff. We had them with peas, tarragon and a spicy butter made with n’duja paste but you could use chorizo, or keep it veggie with harissa instead.
250g ricotta
25g Parmesan
40g plain or 00 flour
1 medium egg
2tbsp polenta
50g butter
2 handfuls frozen peas
2 tsp n’duja
Juice of half a lemon
2tbsp tarragon leaves
Tip the ricotta into a fine sieve and leave to drain for at least an hour or overnight.
Finely grate the Parmesan and place in a bowl with the ricotta and egg, sift in the flour and season with salt and black pepper. Mix together thoroughly then lightly dust a baking tray with polenta and using 2 teaspoons make quenelles or balls of mix and place onto the floured tray. Leave uncovered in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up then put a large pan of salted water on and when hot, gently plop the gnocchi in to simmer over a low heat for a few minutes until they float to the surface. Keep the water barely simmering otherwise they may break up. Remove with a slotted spoon. At this stage you can keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
When ready to eat heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and sauté the dumplings over a gentle heat turning after a nice golden crust has formed. When browned all over remove to a plate, add the butter to the pan and cook for a few minutes until it has foamed, then stir in the n’duja to melt and throw in the peas and some salt. As soon as the mixture is hot again and the peas have warmed through (a couple of minutes) return the gnocchi to the pan and baste with the sauce, squeeze in the lemon, check the seasoning, spoon into warm bowls and scatter over the tarragon and a dusting more of Parmesan.
