Gnocchetti di Semolina

This is a recipe from Gina, the cook we met in Italy (Tuscany) while taking her cooking class. It is really simple and very delicious. It can be modified in a number of different ways (imagine adding some roasted mushrooms and thyme) and is easy to make ahead of time.

Ingredients:

1 quart milk
1 cup semolina flour
1 stick butter
2 egg yolks
Grated parmigiano reggiano
Fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon salt



Add the salt to the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk in the semolina flour a little at a time to avoid lumping, whisk vigorously.

Take off the heat, add the butter and egg yolks and spread onto a buttered baking dish. Dot with more butter, generously spread with cheese and sage leave and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown and set. Serve warm or at room temp.

PS - The butter is a bit much for me - I use one stick of butter total – a little to grease the pan, about 1/3 cut into bits to put on top and the rest to mix into the semolina. I think this was enough butter! You may also substitute the butter you mix in with some good olive oil, but I would keep the butter you put on top to help it brown and get a nice nutty flavor.

PPS - I also sometimes sautee some rough chopped sage leaves and mix into the semolina to accentuate the sage flavor.