Ricotta Gnudi

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil.

2. Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl; mix well. Add in 00 flour.

3. Sift in semolina flour and carefully fold into ricotta mixture until semolina flour is just incorporated and a soft dough forms.

4. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and cut dough into 4 pieces. Roll each section into a long rope about 3/4 inch in diameter.

5. Cut the rope into 1-inch long pieces with a butter knife. Use your forefinger and press down into the middle of each gnudi to create a small dimple. Set the gnudi on a lightly floured baking sheet.

6. Drop gnudi in batches into the simmering water and cook until they float to the surface, less than 1 minute.

7. Drain gnudi and transfer to bowls.

8. Meanwhile, heat marinara sauce in a saucepan until hot, about 5 minutes.

9. Top each portion generously with marinara sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and basil ribbons.

Cook's Notes:

You do not want to add excess flour. The gnudi dough should be soft. Too much flour or too much handling the dough will create tough gnudi.

I often use the metric system as opposed to the imperial system when making gnudi. If you have a scale, I used 90 grams 00 flour and 83 grams semolina flour.