Ricotta Gnocchi in a Garlic Butter Bread Bowl

Ingredients

For the Ricotta Gnocchi

400g 1 x traditional Ricotta cheese from That’s Amore Cheese

1 cup all-purpose plain flour + extra for dusting

2 egg yolks

1 cup parmesan cheese from That’s Amore Cheese  

Salt and pepper to season

1 small Sourdough Cob loaf

1 x mozzarella cheese from That’s Amore Cheese roughly torn

Parmesan Cheese from That’s Amore Cheese  

For the sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp tomato paste

700g passata sauce

½ cup cooking cream

Salt and pepper to season

Handful of fresh Basil leaves

Extra virgin olive oil

For the Garlic Butter

Butter 100g 

2 garlic cloves, minced

Method

In a large saucepan, add olive oil, minced garlic and fry over medium to low heat. Add tomato paste and fry off for 2-3 minutes until melted and caramelised. Pour in passata, basil leaves, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and set aside.

To make the Ricotta Gnocchi, place the ricotta into a large bowl. Add egg yolks, flour, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix well to combine. Avoid over-mixing. The dough will be a moist and maybe a little sticky, but it should hold together well.  Add a few tablespoons of flour if needed. Transfer the dough onto a well-floured surface, shape into a round disk and cut into 4 equal pieces.

Using your hands, gently roll out each piece into an even log, approximately 2cm wide.  Cut each log into individual little gnocchi squares about 1 ½ cm thick. Dust with a little more extra flour to prevent from sticking.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Carefully add in the ricotta gnocchi and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. You will know the gnocchi is cooked once they float to the top. Drain and add gnocchi straight to the sauce. Add parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese and heat until the cheese has just melted.

Preheat the oven to 180c/350f. Hollow out the bread loaf from the center to form a bread bowl, making sure not to cut through the bottom and add the sourdough loaf to a lined baking tray and keep the top. Add the butter and garlic to a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds until melted. Brush the loaf with garlic butter inside and out of the hollowed loaf.

Pour gnocchi into the empty bread bowl until full. Add more grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the top and place into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and is golden.

Serve immediately.