Ingredients
12 total- 500 g of ricotta
- 60 g of parmesan, finely grated
- 0.5 tsp of finely grated whole nutmeg
- 500 g of fine semolina
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 700 ml of passata
- 1 tbsp of fresh oregano leaves
- 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
- 30 g of unsalted butter
- 20 g of parmesan, finely grated, to serve
- 1 good pinch of chilli flakes
Method
6 stepsStep 1
Put the ricotta into a piece of muslin cloth or a clean tea towel and bring up the sides to form a bag. Tie with string or an elastic band. Lay in a sieve placed over a bowl for at least 45 mins, and up to 4 hrs, to drain off some of the liquid.
Step 2
Then tip it into a bowl and mix well with the parmesan and nutmeg; season.
Step 3
Tip half the semolina into a large, flat dish that will fit in your fridge. With damp hands, shape the cheese mixture into 24 walnut-sized balls, then roll each in the semolina – use a clean spoon to help coat them – lining them up in the dish as you go. Once you’ve shaped them all, pour over the rest of the semolina. Chill for at least 24 hrs, ideally 2-3 days, so they form a skin and won’t break during cooking.
Step 4
On the day you want to serve, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the chilli flakes, passata and oregano, season well and simmer for 10 mins. Add the vinegar; bubble for 5-10 mins more until reduced to a rich sauce.
Step 5
Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Melt the butter in a frying pan, season with salt and pepper and leave over a very low heat. Dust excess semolina off the gnudi and lower them, a few at a time, into the water. Simmer for 3-4 mins until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to the pan of butter and roll gently to coat.
Step 6
Once the gnudi are all cooked, divide the sauce between warmed shallow bowls and top each with 4-6 gnudi. Spoon over any leftover butter, scatter with parmesan and finish with a grind of black pepper.