- 300g/10½oz ricotta, drained
- 50g/1¾oz Parmesan, finely grated
- freshly grated nutmeg
- salt, to taste
- about 250g/9oz semolina, for dusting
- olive oil, for drizzing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped or crushed
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 500g/1lb 2oz fresh tomatoes, peeled and puréed (or tinned equivalent)
- pinch sugar (optional)
- handful basil leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- grated Parmesan
- basil leaves
- Place the ricotta in a large bowl and break up with a fork. Add the Parmesan and nutmeg and season with salt. Mix together thoroughly.
- Put half of the semolina into a roasting dish or tray. Wet the palm of your hands and dip in the semolina – this will help the ricotta from sticking too much. Shape heaped teaspoons of the mixture into small dumplings – or if you want to avoid mess, use two teaspoons to make quenelles.
- You should end up with between 24-30 dumplings, depending how generous you are. Drop the dumplings into the semolina and pour over the remaining semolina, making sure they are completely covered.
- Cover the tray and put in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight. When you are ready to cook, remove the gnudi from and pat off any loose semolina.
- For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the garlic. Cook very gently for 2-3 minutes, then add the chilli flakes and tomatoes.
- Season with salt and pepper, then bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has reduced down – you don’t want it too thick, it needs to be fairly liquid to go well with the gnudi. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if you think if it needs it, then stir in the fresh basil.
- To cook the gnudi, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, add the gnudi, all at once, and leave to cook. When the gnudi start floating, they will be done – this will take around 4–5 minutes. Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon (be careful, they are fragile). Drizzle with a little olive oil.
- To serve, flood a serving plate with sauce and drop the dumplings on top. Top with a little more Parmesan and basil leaves.