Recipe: Cheese and Herb Gnudi (Potato-less Gnocchi)

This recipe for Cheese Gnudi (gnocchi made from ricotta instead of potato) by Elodie Bellegarde and her 7 yr old son Elliot are inspired by Nigel Slater’s Christmas Chronicles

Click here to read our interview with 7-year-old Elliot who cooks full family meals and his cookbook author mama Elodie Bellegarde.

Cheese and Herb Gnudi (inspired by Nigel Slater’s Christmas Chronicles)

Serves 3 -4
– 250g durum semolina + extra for dusting
– 250g ricotta
– 1 or 2 tbs dried herbs (we used oregano)
– 1 cup grated cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan, Emmenthal, Comté or Cornish Kern – Elliot is a fan)

Directions
1.Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together until they form a ball. Knead it a little to bring it all together and divide in 4 equally sized balls. Take one ball and roll it into a tube, about 3 cm wide and cut it into little balls. Press each one gently with a finger to flatten it slightly. Proceed with the remaining large balls.

2.Dust a baking tray or a large plate with semolina and place all the gnudi on top. Give the tray a shake back and forth to coat all the dumplings with semolina. Place in the fridge, uncovered, to rest and dry overnight.

3.The next day, bring a pot of water to the boil (I don’t salt mine if Heath is having some). Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the gnudi in the water. The gnudi are cooked once they float on the surface of the pan. Drain and serve coated with pesto and a side of broccoli.