Ricotta gnocchi with quick tomato sauce

Line a sheet pan with paper towels, spread 12 ounces of ricotta on it and press with more paper towels to dry it; scrape it back into a bowl, about 8 ounces after blotting.

Add one whole egg and one egg yolk, about an ounce of finely grated Pecorino Romano and about three and a half ounces of flour.

Mix with a spatula into a moist dough, adding a little more flour if too loose but not so much that the gnocchi turn dense; stop as soon as it comes together without kneading.

Turn out onto a heavily floured board, pat into a shape, divide into four with a bench scraper, roll each into a log, halve, and roll each half into a thinner log of even width.

Cut into pieces, sprinkle with a little flour and toss gently to separate.

Blanch in boiling water; they sink, then expand and float as their moisture turns to steam.

Sauce: pound a couple cloves of garlic and cook in a pan, letting it brown a little; add San Marzano tomatoes, salt and plenty of black pepper.

Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking, then drain. To freeze, toss with oil, spread on a sheet tray and freeze, then boil again to finish.

Chop fresh basil.

Put the gnocchi directly into the sauce with a tiny splash of pasta water over a hotter burner; finish with fresh olive oil and taste for salt.

Off the heat, add more grated cheese and half the basil and toss. Serve topped with more cheese, basil, a drizzle of good olive oil and a crack of black pepper.