Dumplings. But without their clothing. Delicate, fluffy and light as a feather, because their base is sweet ricotta. Coated with melted butter and touched with Parmesan, they softly melt on the palate. Italian spinach gnudi.
Food theorists call them dumplings. At first glance, however, they look more like gnocchi or our leniwe dumplings. They do not have the dough characteristic of Polish pierogi or Italian ravioli. Perhaps that is why they are popular among people who think pasta is fattening. Although it is not—obviously. Besides, both gnudi and pasta are simply delicious. And that is a sufficient argument.
They differ from Italian pastas, which also include gnocchi, in one respect. Italian gnocchi are based on starch. Good gnudi contain very little of it, practically only symbolically. The recipe is based on ricotta. And it really must be good ricotta.
Good ricotta can be found in Italian food shops. There are few of these, however, and they are usually in large cities, so supermarkets are what we have left. The ricotta available there is usually too watery. Before we start making the dumplings, we need to remove the excess water from the cheese. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a linen cloth, transfer the cheese onto it and place it over a bowl. Put it in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
The second important ingredient is spinach. Young leaves only need to be tossed into a pan for a moment with garlic and olive oil, and left until they wilt. Then cool and squeeze out the excess liquid. Chopped, it goes into the gnudi dough. And now the hardest part begins.
Stage one—shaping. Gnudi dough is quite sticky, so it is best to shape the dumplings with a teaspoon. Each ball must be coated in semolina or flour. The semolina (or flour) draws moisture out of the gnudi and creates a skin on their surface. Stage two—resting. Place the prepared gnudi in a dish lined with parchment and put them in the refrigerator. Ideally, they should spend the whole night there.
Drop the finished dumplings into lightly simmering water in batches. Wait until they float, and they are ready. Spinach gnudi taste best with melted butter and Parmesan.
P.S. For lovers of Italian cuisine, my blog also features pasta with pear and Gorgonzola. It is worth trying.
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Enjoy your meal!
Ingredients
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 150 g spinach leaves
- 50 g grated Parmesan
- 1 small egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 20 g semolina or wheat flour
- nutmeg
- 50 g semolina or wheat flour for coating.
TO SERVE
- 50 g butter
- Parmesan flakes.
Method
- If the ricotta is watery, transfer it to a sieve lined with muslin or a linen cloth. Place the sieve over a bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the spinach and finely chopped garlic. Season lightly with salt. Fry, stirring, until the leaves have completely wilted. Set aside to cool. Squeeze the cooled spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then chop it finely.
- Mix the spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, flour and nutmeg. Season lightly with salt.
- Pour the semolina (or flour) into a small bowl. Form balls from the ricotta mixture. Coat each one thoroughly in semolina. Arrange them in a dish lined with parchment. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan. Set aside. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add half the gnudi, reduce the heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, then set it aside and keep it warm. Add the remaining half of the gnudi to the boiling water, reduce the heat and cook gently for 3 minutes.
- Divide the gnudi between 2 bowls. Pour over the melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan flakes.
