Ricotta Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Sauce

To make the tomato sauce, thinly slice the garlic. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, or until light golden brown. Add the tomatoes and quickly cover to prevent splattering. Stir in ¼ cup of water along with the salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and the basil sprig. Cover tightly and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes burst. Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes more.

To make the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Line a sheet pan with parchment or a clean dish towel and sprinkle with a generous amount of flour.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs together. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Stir in ¾ cup of the flour. The dough will be very sticky.

Test the dough by scooping out and dropping a bite-size spoonful of the dough into the boiling water. It will sink at first then rise to the top. Once it does, let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. It should hold its shape. If it comes apart, then stir in a little more flour to the dough. Taste for salt and adjust, if necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Sprinkle with flour and roll around to shape into a loose disk. Roughly divide into 4 pieces. Roll one of the pieces into a long log about ¾ inch in diameter. The dough will be very soft so handle gently and sprinkle with more flour as necessary. Use a paring knife to cut into 1-inch wide pieces. Transfer the gnocchi to the prepared sheet pan and dust with more flour. Repeat with the remaining dough. You can refrigerate the gnocchi at this point for up to 2 hours or cook immediately.

One at a time, drop about half of the amount of gnocchi into the boiling water. Once they start to pop up to the surface, simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide tomato sauce among bowls.

Lift the gnocchi out with slotted spoon or small strainer. Add them to the prepared bowls. Cook the remaining gnocchi and add to the bowls. Top with Parmesan and a sprig of basil and serve.