Beetroot & ricotta gnocchi with sage and chorizo butter

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).

Scrub the beetroot, then quarter. Spread out on a baking dish, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Bake for approx. 40min or until soft. Let them cool down.

Blend the roasted beetroot in a food processor until it is a fine paste. Add the ricotta, egg, salt and parmesan, and blend together.

Add 150g of flour and blend on a slow setting. Check, the consistency: if it looks like it is starting to come together like a dough, the mixture is ready. If it is still very much paste-like, slowly add a little bit more flour at a time until the dough comes together. *Hint:* Resist the temptation to add more and more flour (it will make the gnocchi too chewy). The final texture should be somewhere between a paste and a dough.

Generously flour your workbench and your hands. Empty the dough onto the bench and carefully form 4 balls of dough. Roll one ball into a 2cm thick snake, then use a knife or dough scraper to cut the snake into small pieces. You can use a fork to add a little pattern to the top of each gnocchi (this will hold the sauce better). Repeat with the other three snakes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Carefully lift 1/2 the gnocchi into the water. They will sink to the bottom. When they are cooked, they will rise to the top. Lift out, then cook the other half.

Serve immediately with the below sauce.

Cut the chorizo into small pieces. Add to a hot, heavy frying pan. No oil is required as the chorizo has enough of its own own to cook in. Fry for 5 minutes until it starts browning.

Chop the spring onion and the olives, then add to the chorizo. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add the butter. Once all the butter is melted, add the sage leaves. Cook for another 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over the freshly cooked gnocchi.

Bon appetit!