Author Notes
Like gnocchi, but made with ricotta as opposed to potato. These are soft quenelles of pure 'naked' joy, the name alluding to the lack of a pasta/ravioli casing. They can also be called "malfatti" (literally "badly formed/made" because their shape can slop rather erratically during the poaching). Gnudi (pronounced 'nyoo-dee', the 'g' is just as silent as the pillowy-ness of these delights) is classically served with a sage brown-butter sauce.
—studious_foodie
-
Prep time
1 hour 15 minutes
-
Cook time
5 minutes
-
Serves
2
Ingredients
-
150-200 grams
SPINACH
-
70 grams
BUTTER
-
1
SHALLOT
-
1
clove of GARLIC
-
35 grams
PLAIN FLOUR
-
115 grams
RICOTTA
-
1
large EGG YOLK
-
50 grams
grated PARMESAN
-
1 teaspoon
LEMON ZEST
-
1/4 teaspoon
WHITE PEPPER
-
1 handful
FRESH SAGE leaves
Directions
-
Blanch the spinach in salty water until wilted but still vividly green. Squeeze the leaves of excess water & chop. Set aside.
-
Next heat 20g of the butter in a pan and sauté the shallot & garlic. Stir in the spinach.
-
Plop this into a large bowl and mix in the flour, ricotta, egg yolk, parmesan & lemon zest. Season with the white pepper & sea salt (I use Maldon).
-
Traditionally these little gnudi are round, but I've gone for a more modernist/ minimised mess approach. So with two tablespoons shape the mixture into large quenelles and place on a tray dusted with flour.
-
Chill for at least an hour. I would recommend making them in the morning & cooking them later in the day. When ready to serve, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and poach those gnudi for about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon fish them out and onto a bed of whatever base you desire (pasta, salad, etc).
-
While the gnudi are poaching put the leftover 50g of butter into a frying pan. Let melt and then scatter in the sage leaves. By the time they crisp up and the butter browns the gnudi should be done!! Ladle over lovingly & then scoff it.
See what other Food52ers are saying.