Method

• 1.
  Preheat oven to 120°C/100°C fan-forced. Grease an ovenproof shallow serving plate with butter and place in oven to warm.
• 2.
  Double-line a baking tray with paper towel. Cut ricotta into slices and place on lined tray to drain. Place more paper towel on top and press down slightly to help draw out excess moisture. Repeat (the more moisture you can remove, the less flour you’ll need to use and the lighter the gnocchi will be).
• 3.
  Crumble dry ricotta into a large bowl and sprinkle with the flour and a little finely grated nutmeg. Cut the flour into the ricotta using the blunt sides of two butter knives. The less you work the flour, the lighter the gnocchi will be. If the mixture is wet, add a little more flour, but if you’ve taken your time with the draining above, you shouldn’t need it.
• 4.
  On a lightly floured surface, split dough into two even portions. Knead very gently for just 1 minute until almost smooth, then shape each portion into a fat sausage, about 3cm thick. Next, very gently, without much pressure, roll each sausage into a 30cm log. Cut each log into 2-3cm pieces.
• 5.
  Scoop stracciatella into a bowl and set aside. Remove plate from oven and pour remaining liquid from stracciatella onto the warm plate. Add the mortadella and return plate to oven. Toss the pistachios in the oil in a small bowl and set aside.
• 6.
  Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. In two batches, add the gnocchi to the boiling water. Cook until the gnocchi rises to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to the warm serving plate, making sure it has drained well. Gently toss to coat, and return to oven to keep warm while you cook remaining gnocchi.
• 7.
  Transfer remaining cooked gnocchi to the warmed plate, gently toss to coat and top with the reserved stracciatella, slivered pistachios and lemon zest. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.