Herby Ricotta Gnocchi

These gnocchi are the final result after several trial runs, so I think I have now perfected them! They are very light, and quite tasty on their own too. In fact they could be served with just garlic oil and lots of grated parmesan. This time we had them with tomato and mushroom sauce, but they taste wonderful with basil pesto too!

• 375g ricotta
• 65g parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour and extra for work surface
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, etc)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mash everything together. Depending on how wet your ricotta is, you may need a little extra flour, but try not to add too much as it will be a wet dough. Use plenty of flour on your work surface and divide the dough in half. Form into two long “sausage” rolls, about 2-3cm in diameter, and then cut them into bite-sized pieces. I ended up with 63. (That number again!) I didn’t worry about doing the fork trick – way too time-consuming! I make these ahead, and put them on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a tray, so they are not touching each other. They then go in the fridge or even freezer. (When frozen they can then be packed in a freezer bag for future use.)

Cook in boiling water until they rise to the top of the pot, and then give them another minute or even two before removing with a slotted spoon.  Serve immediately with your favourite sauce.