Cheese dumplings with tomato sauce

Ingredients

For the dumplings

• 250 g fresh cheese
• 50 g hard sheep’s cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon basil paste
• 4 tablespoons white flour
• 1 tablespoon starch
• 2 tablespoons white flour for shaping
• 2 l water
• 1 teaspoon salt for boiling

For the sauce

• 400 ml tomato juice
• 1 tomato
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon roasted pepper paste
• 1 teaspoon basil paste

Preparation

1. Mash the fresh cheese with a fork. Add the coarsely grated sheep’s cheese, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon basil paste. Gradually mix in 4 tablespoons flour and the starch; the dough will stay soft and sticky. 2. Put 2 tablespoons flour on a plate. Using two spoons, scoop up a little dough at a time and coat it in flour, then shape the dumplings with your hands. 3. Boil the dumplings in 2 l boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt for 8-10 minutes, until firm on the outside. 4. Peel the tomato and cut it into small cubes. Simmer the tomato juice with the tomato and olive oil for 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to three-quarters of its volume and thickened. 5. Add the roasted pepper paste, 1 teaspoon basil paste, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Pour the sauce into an ovenproof dish and arrange the dumplings on top. 6. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm.