Baked Semolina Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 l Milk
• 250 g Semolina
• 2 Egg yolks
• 80 g Butter
• 100 g Parmesan
• 30 g Pecorino romano
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Salt

Steps

1. Bring the milk to a gentle boil with the butter (reserve a knob for the topping), a generous pinch of salt and a grating of nutmeg.
2. Lower the heat and rain in the semolina in a thin stream, whisking constantly so no lumps form.
3. Cook over moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 8-10 minutes until the mixture is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot.
4. Remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute.
5. Beat in the egg yolks and most of the grated Parmesan until smooth.
6. Pour the hot mixture onto a sheet of parchment or a wet marble surface and spread it to an even thickness of about 1 cm.
7. Let it cool and firm up completely.
8. Using a wet glass or round cutter about 5 cm across, cut out discs from the set semolina.
9. Butter a baking dish and arrange the discs slightly overlapping, like roof tiles.
10. Scatter over the melted reserved butter and the remaining Parmesan and Pecorino.
11. Bake at 200°C (static oven) for about 20 minutes, until golden and crisp at the edges.
12. Rest a few minutes and serve hot.

Tips

• Use coarse durum semolina (semolino), not fine flour, for the right bite. Spread the porridge while piping hot — it sets fast — and chill it well before cutting so the discs hold their shape. Save the trimmings: press them into the dish underneath the neat discs so nothing is wasted.