Ingredients

• Gnocchi

• 8 oz / 250g ricotta - ordinary supermarket ricotta, not expensive fresh Italian ricotta (Note 1)
• ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (Note 2)
• ¾ to 1 cup plain flour, plus more for dusting (Note 3)
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• ¼ tsp salt
• Black pepper

• Browned Butter Sauce

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp salt (or omit if using salted butter)
• Black pepper

• Tomato Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ brown onion, finely diced
• 28 oz / 800 g canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp mixed dried Italian herbs (or any combination of dried parsley, basil, oregano and thyme)
• 1 tsp salt
• Black pepper

• Garnish

• Freshly grated parmesan
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Steps

Gnocchi

• Step 1. Combine the gnocchi ingredients in a bowl except the flour.
• Step 2. Use a rubber spatula to mix until the egg is partially mixed into the ricotta. Then add ¾ cup of flour and mix until just combined so it is a sticky very soft dough, but not like batter. Use the remaining flour, 1 tbsp at a time to get the dough consistency right. I find ¾ cup is enough. (Note 3)
• Step 3. Turn it out on a work surface lightly dusted with flour, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on top then pat it down to a disc about 1"/2.5cm thick. Cut it into 8 pieces.
• Step 4. Roll a piece into a log about 3/5" / 1.5 cm in diameter and about 10"/25cm long. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Step 5. Line 4 logs up, then cut them into 3/5" / 1.5cm pieces. Repeat with remaining 4 logs. (Note 4)
• Step 6. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Tumble the gnocchi in and cook for around 2½ minutes, or until the gnocchi is floating on the surface for around 30 seconds.
• Step 7. Reserve 1 mug of cooking water. Then drain and add the gnocchi into the frypan with your sauce of choice (you only need one of them, not both). Follow the instructions below.

Browned Butter Sauce

• Step 1. Melt the butter in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Let it bubble until it turns brown. Add the salt and pepper. If the gnocchi isn't ready yet, remove from the stove until ready.
• Step 2. Pour the cooked gnocchi into the fry pan along with ½ cup of the reserved cooking water. Gently stir, coating the gnocchi in the melted butter, cooking for 1 minute. This is the step when the butter and starch in the water emulsify so the sauce coats each piece of gnocchi.
• Step 3. Do a taste test and add more salt if required. Serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce

• Step 1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
• Step 2. Add the garlic and onion. Sauce for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
• Step 3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Do a taste test and adjust saltiness to taste.
• Step 4. Add the gnocchi and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water. Cook for 1 minute, stirring gently. The olive oil and starch in the water will emulsify to thicken the sauce so it clings to the gnocchi better.

To Serve

• Step 1. Serve immediately as the gnocchi will start to harden after about 15 minutes as it cools. You can reheat in the microwave to soften.
• Step 2. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and parsley, if desired.