Wild garlic gnocchi, English asparagus, morels, pecorino and crispy duck egg

Ingredients
Serves 2
1 bunch English asparagus,
stems trimmed and pared
1 handful morels, brushed
2 duck eggs
1 handful wild garlic leaves
300g dry mashed potato
100g 00 pasta flour
20g butter
100ml chicken (or vegetable)
stock
50g grated Pecorino
Flour/beaten egg/breadcrumbs for
coating the duck eggs
Sea salt
Olive oil

Method
For the gnocchi, finely chop the wild garlic leaves, add to the potato and flour, and mix to make a dough. Roll it into sausages and then cut it into pillows, approximately 2cm x 2cm.

Set aside for later. In the meantime, blanch all of the asparagus apart from two spears, and refresh in ice-cold water. Shave the remaining two asparagus spears into thin strips using a peeler or a mandolin and set aside.

For the crispy duck eggs, poach the eggs, keeping them soft, but cooked through enough so that they can be handled. Refresh the eggs in ice-cold water.

Dry the eggs and dust in flour. Dip them in the beaten egg and finish by dipping them in the breadcrumbs.

When you are ready to cook the finished dish, heat a fryer to 180°C.

In the meantime, heat a frying pan and add the butter. When it starts to foam, add the gnocchi and morels, and allow the gnocchi to get a little colour and the morels to
sweat a little. Add the whole asparagus spears and give the pan a little shake.

Add a splash of the stock and allow to reduce quickly, while moving the pan so it begins to emulsify. Keep adding the stock a little at a time, until the gnocchi are cooked and the sauce is thick and buttery. Add half of the cheese and give the pan a stir. Now put the eggs into the fryer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rest of the cheese to the shaved asparagus, and season with sea salt and a little olive oil.

To serve, lay the asparagus in the bowl and spoon over the gnocchi. Make a nest on top with the shaved asparagus and cheese and sit the egg in the middle. Add a little sea salt and serve immediately.

By Daniel Doherty, executive chef, Duck & Waffle

Recommended wine
I would try Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône 2010. This vivid purple wine features a high-toned, intensely perfumed nose that displays dark berries, liquorice and smoked meat, with an avvolgente floral top note.

Juicy, broad and a bit wild, with sweet, deep, energetic flavours, it works well with the sweet texture of the gnocchi and the salty note of the Pecorino and has enough structure to work with the oily touch of the crispy duck eggs.

Maurizio Palomba, head sommelier, Duck & Waffle