Gnocchi with fresh ricotta straight from the farm.

I drove to the back blocks of Thomastown to get a book on philosophy: don’t laugh. It was a VCE text for Tom and the academic book store is essentially a factory outlet on the northern basalt plain where hulking grey warehouses line the streets like monstrous black windowless mansions. The location keeps the prices down but I still walked away with $72 worth of Nietzsche.

It was about midday. This being the winter solstice, the buildings on the north side of the street were in deep shadow but, on the south side, the glassed entrance to Campion was flooded with angled sun. I rang the bell. The place was empty except for an enticing aroma of cooking food. A woman came out and apologised and said she had just put her lunch in the microwave. On the contrary, I said, sorry for interrupting. She disappeared into the warehouse to fetch the book and when she came back I asked if she would take cash as my bank account had been hacked, and I was still waiting for a new card. She put the book in a bag and said the same thing had happened to her and she was still trying to change direct debits.

Back out in the sun, I noticed a neon sign in red and blue down the street in the angle of the avenue: ‘cheese factory outlet open now’.

While I’m here, I thought. The front of a milk tanker was emerging from the delivery bay driveway, grille and headlights like a giant face. Inside, the cafe was like a slice of Lyon Street transplanted in space. I bought a tub of ricotta that was so fresh I thought I could hear cows, but the truck told me otherwise.

Ricotta and spinach gnocchi.

Drop a bunch of finely chopped spinach into boiling water for a few minutes and drain once wilted. Use muslin or a tea towel to squeeze the water out.

Combine with about 200 grams of fresh ricotta, two eggs, half a cup of flour, about 100 grams of grated pecorino or similar, a finely chopped garlic clove,  a handful of finely chopped parsley and a few generous grinds of nutmeg. I used about half a clove.

Mix well and form into balls. The first time I did this I had not chopped the spinach finely enough and the stalks and leaves kind of stuck out a bit making the gnocchi look extremely rustic, like hairy green creatures in a pond of red sauce. They actually worked quite well but a more refined version is probably today’s preference. 

Chill, and to cook drop into a large pot of salted boiling water. Let them sink to the bottom like stricken ships and them marvel as they resurrect themselves after about thirty seconds, rising to float triumphantly on the roiling brine. Use a slotted spoon to retrieve them. Drain carefully and dress lovingly with the sauce of your choice. I used an arrabiatta, a kind of extra-rich napoletana further revved up with some fiery chilli flakes to celebrate the turning of the solstice and the the thought of longer days ahead.

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Campion Books, 48 Latitude Blvd, Thomastown.

That’s Amore Cheese, 66 Latitude Blvd, Thomastown.

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‘Even the most beautiful scenery is no longer assured of our love after we have lived in it for three months, and some distant coast attracts our avarice: possessions are generally diminished by possession.’

- Friedrich Nietzsche