Method

• 1.
  Soak the bread in the milk for 20 minutes or until soft, then squeeze out any excess.
• 2.
  Using your hands, break down the bread to a pulp. Combine bread with cheese, herbs, egg yolk, 1 tsp salt and some pepper to form a sticky batter. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• 3.
  Meanwhile, for the tomato sauce, heat oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Cook spring onion, capsicum, garlic and celery stalk, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add tomatoes, 200ml water and 1-2 tsp salt, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, then stir in the basil and celery leaves. Set aside.

• 4.
  Half-fill a saucepan with oil and heat over medium heat (a cube of bread will turn golden in 15 seconds when the oil is hot enough).
• 5.
  Using your hands, shape the dumpling batter into 4cm balls. In batches, deep-fry the dumplings, turning constantly, for 1-2 minutes or until golden and starting to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel while you repeat with the remaining batter.
• 6.
  Add the cooked dumplings to the tomato sauce, cover with a lid and stand for at least 1 hour to allow the dumplings to soak up the sauce. Gently reheat the dumplings in the sauce, then serve with a scattering of fresh basil leaves and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the leftover sauce.