Ricotta gnocchi with butter, lemon and mint sauce

Break the ricotta up in a bowl with a fork until it crumbles.

Add the egg and four generous tablespoons of pecorino and mix together.

Add half the flour and mix until it starts to form a dough; add a little more flour and clean the bowl.

Flour the bench, turn the mixture out and work it by hand, pushing forward and back and rotating, until the dough absorbs the flour and the bench is clean; scrape up the bits.

If too sticky add a little more flour, starting with less and adding as you go; aim for a silky, moist dough that does not leave residue on the hands. Do not overwork it.

On a floured bench stretch the dough gently with a rolling pin, rotating, to about half an inch thick.

Cut strips about one inch wide, spread them apart and flour them. Keep the room cool, since the cheese makes the dough sticky in heat.

Press the sides of a strip and roll from the middle outwards into a long snake; cut into pillows about a finger wide and set on a tray lined with baking paper, keeping them floured.

To freeze, freeze them on the tray for an hour or two until hard, then transfer to Ziploc bags so they stay separate.

Melt butter over medium-low heat without rushing; add lemon zest, tear in mint by hand, then add the lemon juice.

Boil the gnocchi in a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon sea salt without touching them; lift them out when they rise to the surface.

Add the gnocchi to the sauce over medium-low heat with a little pasta water and toss gently; never fry or brown them.

Turn off the heat, count to ten while adding more mint, then add a generous amount of pecorino and toss until creamy.