RICOTTA DUMPLINGS WITH ASPARAGUS AND SPRING ONION
Once you get the hang of forming these dumplings, it’s easy going, but it may take a little practice at first… but that’s the fun, and the finished result is so worth it.
Ingredients
For the dumplings:
350g Viavio ricotta, drained well
110g Grana Padano, finely grated, plus more (for serving)
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
2¼ tsp salt, plus extra
¼ cup plain flour, plus extra
Asparagus and assembly:
230g asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2.5-centimetre pieces
500ml Foundation Foods chicken stock
6 spring onions, pale green and white parts, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Olive oil (for drizzling)
Method
For the dumplings: Add ricotta, Grana Padano, egg, egg yolk and salt to a food processor bowl and pulse until smooth. Sprinkle flour over ricotta mixture and pulse again until just combined. Transfer the dumpling batter to a medium-sized bowl
Dust a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet generously with flour.
Using a metal spoon, scoop out ¾ tablespoon of dumpling batter. Brush the spoon against side of bowl to smooth out the batter, and using your finger tip, push batter off the spoon onto the baking sheet. Dust tops with more flour. You should end up with about 24 dumplings
Asparagus and assembly: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until almost tender, about 2-3 mins. Remove with slotted spoon into a bowl of iced water. Drain and pat dry
Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large frying pan over a medium heat
Return the pot of water to a gentle simmer and add dumplings one by one, so they don’t crush each other. Stir occasionally until they’re almost doubled in size, cooked through and tender: about 4 mins.
Transfer dumplings to the simmering stock. Add butter and spring onions and cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened and spring onions have slightly softened: about 3 mins
Add asparagus, chives and lemon juice and toss to warm asparagus. Season to taste
Serve the dumplings and asparagus in bowls with more Grano Padano and drizzle with olive oil