Circle B Kitchen
Adapted from Epicurious
1 pound fresh ricotta cheese*
1 large egg
1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 ounce) plus additional for serving
1/2 teaspoon salt
Large pinch of ground white pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour plus additional for coating
Line a colander with cheesecloth or several layers of paper towels. Spoon ricotta cheese into the colander. Let drain at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Beat egg, 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, and white pepper in large bowl to blend. Mix in ricotta. Sprinkle 3/4 cup flour over and stir gently to blend. Cover and chill dough 1 hour. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place some flour in bowl. For each gnudi, gently roll 1 heaping teaspoonful of dough into ball. Add to flour; toss to coat lightly, shaping into short log. Place on baking sheet. Do ahead Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.
Cook gnudi in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce
4 large ripe tomatoes
2 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a large knife and add to the oil. Heat the garlic in the olive oil over a low flame while you prepare the tomatoes.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Cut an "X" in the bottom of each tomato. Gently submerge the tomatoes into the boiling water for about one to 2 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and peel off the skin. Cut each tomato in half around the equator and use your fingers to remove the seeds. Dice the tomatoes and set aside.
Remove the garlic from the oil and add the chopped tomatoes and a little salt and pepper. Let simmer while you prepare the gnudi dough. Add the chopped basil and taste for salt and pepper.