Herb Gnudi in Fennel Sauce

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 500g full cream ricotta
  • 50g Pecorino, grated
  • 2 yolks
  • 1 bunch parsley, very finely chopped
  • 1 bunch chives, very finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 500g semolina
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 24 sage leaves
  • 1 head fennel, very finely sliced
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
  • juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 8

1 Combine the ricotta, Pecorino, yolks, herbs and nutmeg in a bowl and beat well. Add 100g semolina, then stir until smooth. Take walnut-sized pieces and roll into balls, then roll in semolina. Once all the balls are made, cover in semolina and refrigerate for 3 hours, or overnight.
2 Shake off the excess semolina, then cook the gnudi in rapidly-boiling salted water until they float. Meanwhile, heat the butter and sage in a wide pan until lightly-golden, then add the gnudi. Once caramelised, mix in the fennel. Finally, add the pine nuts and lemon juice.