This recipe is inspired by a couple of things. One is Giada’s recipe for ricotta gnudi in Parmesan broth, and the other is by sformato, a light Italian dish that is kind of a cross between pudding, custard and soufflé. I wanted the intensity of the asparagus flavor with the light pillowy bites of ricotta, and I liked the idea of a brightly flavored broth to surround it all, with a little salty crunch of prosciutto. It was also a chance to make ricotta cheese, which is ridiculously simple to make. I used goat’s milk to give the cheese more tang, and brightened it up even more with some Meyer lemon zest. Whole milk ricotta from the store works perfectly well too. Enjoy! Serves 6 as first course, 4 as main course.

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