Actress and avid foodie Nicole ‘Milly’ Millbank shares one of her nourishing recipes with us from Milly’s Real Food, where she demonstrates how to create a delicious meal from fresh, affordable and accessible produce.

Ingredients

250g of best quality fresh ricotta (from an Italian deli if possible)
50g freshly grated Parmesan
A few gratings of lemon zest
250g semolina
50g butter
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
A few fresh thyme leaves
50g of Gorgonzola
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. Gently break the ricotta and drain in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge for at least two hours to get rid of any excess moisture, it needs to be dry and crumbly.
  2. Put the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and lemon zest into a bowl and beat together until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and taste to check the seasoning.
  3. Spread the semolina onto a large baking tray. Grab a small golf ball sized piece of ricotta and roll between your hands to form a small ball then pop it on the semolina. Do this with all the mixture then gently roll the tray back and forth to cover the balls completely.
  4. Stick the entire tray, uncovered into the fridge overnight. The semolina will draw out all the moisture from the ricotta and create a fabulous crust.
  5. Bring a large pan of salted water up to the boil, gently drop the gnudi into the water and cook for about 2 minutes or until they rise to the surface.
  6. Meanwhile, pop a pan on a medium heat and the butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Once the butter has melted, rip in most of the thyme leaves and crumble in the Gorgonzola.
  7. Add a tablespoon of the cooking water and swirl the pan to create a creamy sauce.
  8. Serve immediately over the gnudi with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a scatter of extra thyme leaves.

Milly’s Real Food is published by HQ/HarperCollins, RRP £20, available at WH Smith, Waterstones and Amazon.