Gnocchi alla Romana

For 2 persons:

100g semolina flour
400ml milk
25g butter
1 egg yolk
50g grated parmesan cheese
1tsp grated nugmeg
olive oil
salt

1. Bring the milk to boil in a pot and melt the butter into it. Season with a teaspoon of salt and grated nutmeg.
2. Add the semolina flour and mix quickly to avoid clumping. Cook for a further minute until the semolina becomes a compact mixture.
3. Remove from heat, mix in the yolk and 40g of the grated cheese.
4. Smear some oil on a deep tray and once the semolina mixture has cooled enough to handle, use a spatula and make a 1cm thickness 'cake' in the tray. Use a glass or a cookie cutter to cut out disks of gnocchi.
5. Place the gnocchi in a baking tray, placing them so that they overlapping each other a little. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese, bake in an oven at 200C for 20 min, until a crunchy crust has formed.

Tamarind spice biscuits

Based on recipe


Step 1

125g unsalted butter, softened
250g caster sugar
1 egg
25g tamarind concentrate

Step 2
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp garam masala or mixed spice

Step 3
200g plain flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1. Beat together Step 1 ingredients 
2. Beat in Step 2 spices
3. Stir in Step 3 
4. Baking style A: scoop small balls from the mixture, flatten the dough evenly in your palm, the biscuits will be thin and crispy 
5. Baking style B: scoop and roll dough into round walnut-shaped balls, and place directly 5cm apart in the oven, the biscuits will be thick and crunchy
6. Bake at 170C (150C fan-assisted)/335F/gas mark 3 for about 15 minutes

Peanut flavour ice cream

to make 500g of ice cream:
200ml cream
150ml milk
85g sugar
1 vanilla pod
1 egg
2+ large tbsp of peanut butter
pinch of salt

1. Slice open the vanilla pod and remove the vanilla seeds with the back of a knife. Place the cream, milk, sugar and the empty vanilla pod in a sauce pan and bring to just boiling.
2. In a large bowl, mix the egg with a pinch of salt and the vanilla seeds.
3. Slowly add the heated cream mix to the egg while whisking vigorously. Scoop out the vanilla pod and discard.
4. Add the peanut butter and mix until the cream mixture is smooth.
5. Leave to cool and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
6. If you have an ice cream maker you can use that from this point on, if you don't own one (like me), pour the cream into a metallic pot and place in the freezer compartment for at least 5 hours. Mix the ice cream every 30-60min to achieve the creamy effect. If you only allow it to freeze without mixing you will taste the water icicles and not iced cream!