Ricotta and Basil Gnocchi

What I changed: Spinach in the butter sauce and more fresh on top and some basil pesto in the gnocchi as I didn’t have quite enough basil. Used the freezer for 20mins or so instead of putting it in the fridge for 1.5hrs.

What I would change: No butter sauce, something tomatoey – although not so much to drown out the yum gnocchi.

Preparation Time 15 minutes

Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 300g fresh ricotta
• 100g creamy feta, crumbled
• 20g (1/4 cup) finely grated Parmesan
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• Plain flour, extra, to dust
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• 28 basil leaves
• Finely shredded or shaved Parmesan, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Place ricotta, feta, parmesan and egg in bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add flour and process until just combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours to chill.
2. Use a sieve to dust a baking tray with some extra plain flour. Use 2 teaspoons to scoop ricotta mixture, shape into rough balls and drop in a single layer on tray (makes about 24). Dust with flour.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil over high heat. Carefully drop half the gnocchi, 1 at a time, into the water. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer gnocchi to an ovenproof dish. Cover with foil and place in preheated oven to keep warm. Return water to the boil and repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
4. Melt 40g of the butter in a frying pan over medium heat until it foams. Add basil leaves and cook, shaking pan often, for 1-2 minutes or until basil is crisp but not brown. Drain on paper towel. Discard butter and wipe pan clean with paper towel. Add remaining butter to pan and heat over medium heat for 2 minutes or until it turns a light brown. Remove from heat immediately.
5. Place gnocchi on plates, spoon over brown butter, top with crisp basil and extra parmesan.

recipe from taste.com.au

This is quite a spectacularly different recipe. They taste quite like earl grey so if you don’t like it, don’t make them. They do taste SO good.

Preparation Time 20 – 40 minutes

Cooking Time 20 minutes

Makes 12

Ingredients

• Melted butter, for greasing
• 2 Earl Grey tea bags
• 60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
• 80ml (1/3 cup) milk
• 100g butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 160g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 190g (1 1/4 cups) self-raising flour

Marmalade icing

• 230g (1 1/2 cups) pure icing sugar
• 1 1/2 tbs breakfast marmalade
• 1 1/2 tbs fresh orange juice, approximately

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 12 medium (80ml/1/3 cup) muffin pans with the melted butter to lightly grease.
2. Empty the tea leaves from the tea bags into a cup and add the boiling water. Set aside for 3 minutes. Stir in the milk and then transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the butter, eggs, sugar and flour to the tea mixture. Use electric beaters on low speed to beat until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy (the mixture may look slightly curdled).
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the greased pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
5. Meanwhile, to make the marmalade icing, combine the icing sugar and marmalade in a small bowl. Add enough juice to make a very thick paste.
6. Use a teaspoon dipped in hot water to spread the icing over the tops of the cooled cakes. Set aside for 15-20 minutes to allow the icing to set.

Recipe here for my record, incase it gets taken down or something crazy like that before I can write it out. From the brilliant taste.com.au

(and the charming photo taken under fluro lights… whoop whoop)