RICOTTA DUMPLINGS (GNUDI) RECIPE

Gnudi Recipe 

SERVES: 6 (Makes 18 gnudi)

INGREDIENTS:

• 20 oz (about 2 1/3 cups) of ricotta
• 2 oz of grated Parmesan
• 3 egg yolks
• 6   egg whites
• semolina

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, drain ricotta of all its moisture so that it is completely dry before you make the dumplings. Put ricotta into a colander over a bowl, place a plate on top and weight it down with a tin of beans for a few hours to dry it out.
2. Once drained, mix ricotta with Parmesan and egg yolks.
3. In a separate clean bowl, whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the ricotta mixture, as if you were making a soufflé.
4. Scoop into 18oval-shaped dumplings or quenelles.
5. Have ready a shallow bowl of semolina, dust the dumplings in it, then lay them on a tray and put them back into the fridge to rest and firm up for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to cook, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then turn down the heat so that it is just under the boil. Lower in the gnudi for about 3minutes, until they float to the top.
7. Lift out with a slotted spoon and serve. You can also cook them this way in advance, and then reheat them very briefly in the oven, just for about 10minutes at 325°F before serving.

If you want the gnudi to be gluten-free, don’t dust them with semolina, and only rest them in the fridge for an hour, then lay them in batches on a sheet of baking paper (space them well apart), put them into a steamer and steam for 10minutes.

Lift out and cover with cling film while you steam the rest.

WITH PEAS

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

• gnudi mixture as in previous recipe
• 1 3/4 of fresh or frozen peas
• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• pea shoots for garnish

 You can make this with a mix of baby broad beans and peas, if you prefer, or even just broad beans.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the gnudi mixture up to the point of shaping into dumplings.
2. Cook peas and drain them.
3. Tip half of the peas on to some kitchen paper and pat them dry, as you want to remove all the excess moisture, then fold into the gnudi mixture.
4. When ready to serve, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add onion and the rest of the drained peas, plus 4 tbsp of water, cook for 10 minutes, then either transfer to a blender or use a hand blender to whiz into a bright green puree, adding 2 more tbsp of extra virgin olive oil as you go.
5. 5. Cook the gnudi instructed in previous recipe, then serve on top of the pea puree and garnish with a few pea shoots.

WITH SPINACH

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

• gnudi mixture as in previous recipe
• 4 oz spinach
• passata or tomato pasta sauce, enough to lightly cover 6 serving dishes

1. Make the gnudi mixture as on the previous page up to the point of shaping into dumplings.
2. Blanch spinach in boiling saltedwater for a couple of minutes.
3. Drain spinach under cold running water, then squeeze it to remove as much moisture as possible.
4. Chop and drain further on paper towl to remove all the remaining moisture, then fold into the gnudi mixture.
5. When ready to serve, warm up the tomato passata or sauce in a pan.
6. 6. Cook the gnudi as instructed in previous recipe and serve on top of the tomato passata or sauce.