I like to boost up the flavour of these gnocchi by first infusing the milk with aromatics. Grains such as polenta and semolina need to be well seasoned otherwise they can taste quite bland.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
4 cups milk
1 onion, thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic, halved
2 bay leaves
few sprigs rosemary or thyme
Gnocchi
1½ cups fine semolina
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 egg yolks
good knob of butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To cook
fresh sage leaves
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
butter
30 cm x 26 cm shallow tray
METHOD
Grease the tray and line with baking paper.
Place the milk and aromatics in a large saucepan and place over a low heat. Slowly bring to just below the boil then take off the heat and leave for 30 minutes. Strain and pour back into the saucepan.
Gnocchi: Bring the milk to the boil and slowly drizzle in the semolina, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps forming. The mixture will be very thick. Change to a wooden spoon and cook for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and beat in the Parmesan, egg yolks and the butter. Season generously and spread onto the baking tray. Cool then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The semolina can be made 2-3 days ahead.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
To cook: Cut the semolina into strips then into triangles. Place slightly overlapping in a well-buttered oven-proof baking dish and top with the sage leaves then the Parmesan and dot over the butter. Grind over a little black pepper and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Menu: Serve with Roast Pork Belly, Apple and Tarragon Salsa Verde, Fennel, Radicchio and Apple Salad with Red Wine Dressing and finish with Espresso Flans.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.