Ricotta Gnocchi in Arrabiata Sauce

1. To make the arrabiata sauce, in a large heavy bottom cast iron pan heat up the olive oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of sea salt until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and let it cook only for a few seconds until fragrant.

2. In a large bowl crush the tomatoes with your hands. Transfer to the pot with the onions and garlic and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaf and partially cover with a lid. Allow the sauce to simmer away on low flame for about 1 hour until thick and concentrated in flavor. Make sure to stir often, every 10 minutes, making sure the sauces doesn’t get scorched on the bottom.

3. Turn off the flame and season to your taste with the sea salt. Stir in the fresh basil leaves and finish it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

4. For the ricotta gnocchi, bring a large stockpot of generously-salted water to a boil over high heat.

5. While the water is heating, place 3-4 paper towels on a large plate and spread the ricotta on the paper towels in an even layer. Place another layer of 3-4 paper towels on top of the ricotta. Then press down gently to let the excess moisture soak into the paper towels, trying to soak up as much of the excess liquid as possible - the drained ricotta should now weigh about 12 ounces. Transfer the ricotta to a large mixing bowl.

6. Add the egg yolks to the ricotta and stir briefly to combine. Add in the flour, parmesan, salt and pepper, and stir until evenly combined. Avoid over-mixing - the dough will be a bit moist and maybe a bit sticky, but it should be holding together well. If it feels too wet, add in a few tablespoons of flour.

7. Shape the dough into a round disk with your hands, then transfer it to a lightly-floured cutting board and sprinkle the dough with lightly with flour. Using a bench scrapper, cut the dough into eight even pie wedges. Using your hands, gently roll out each wedge out into an even log, approximately ¾ - inch wide. Cut each log into individual bite-sized little gnocchi squares. Lightly dust the gnocchi with flour once more and give them a quick toss so that they are all lightly coated with flour.

8. Carefully transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water to cook. Then once they float - usually after 30 seconds or so - drain the gnocchi.

9. Tossed immediately in the finished arrabiata sauce and top with some additional parmesan cheese and basil.