Preparation:
- Butter a 10" x 12" piece of parchment paper, put it on a small cutting board, and set aside.
- In a small but heavy saucepan, bring the milk, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to a low boil over medium heat.
- Gradually add the semolina, whisking with a wooden spatula and a whisk, never letting the mixture go below a medium simmer. Continue until all the semolina has been incorporated, and then stir until it has thickened considerably and is very stiff – a wooden spoon should be able to stand upright in the mixture. All this will probably take about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly with a fork, then whisk in 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan.
- Mix the egg-cheese into the semolina until well blended.
- Spoon the mixture onto the buttered parchment paper and, using a frosting blade run under hot water from time to time, spread it out as evenly as possible into a sheet ½ inch thick – Lippo suggests putting a second piece of buttered parchment paper on top of the sheet and then flipping the whole thing over in order to insure very smooth gnocchi.
- Put the cutting board and gnocchi into the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to firm the dough.
- Melt the butter and set aside; butter the 11" x 7" oval LeCreuset baking dish.
- Use the 1½-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles – dip it frequently into very hot water before cutting.
- When the sheet has been entirely cut, carefully pry the circles away (using your fingers and the frosting blade) and arrange them neatly in rows in the baking dish, starting at one end and working to the other – put them in, not flat, but at about a 45-degree angle, with each new row overlapping the previous one.
- Smooth out the remaining dough on the cutting board and cut out as many as additional circles as you can; use your fingers, if necessary, to make a final circle to finish up the dough.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the gnocchi, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese over them.
- If using the frozen, chopped pancetta, which Lippo deprecates as keeping the surface of the cooked gnocchi from browning properly, scatter them over the top at this point.
- The gnocchi may now be covered with foil or plastic and refrigerated.
- 20 or 25 minutes before eating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the rack about b of the way up.
- Remove the covering from the gnocchi and bake for 10 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler and broil for about 5 minutes, until the top is a rich, golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
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