gnudi

I'm not sure if you guys know this about me, but I pretty much live on cheese and pasta. Yes, despite all the sweets you usually find here, it's true. Homemade variations of macaroni and cheese (like this one) obviously do well in my apartment.

But way more exciting than mac and cheese? Gnudi. The ricotta-based dumplings, cousins of gnocchi, are prepared like a pasta but they're made of cheese. Sort of like eating ravioli filling without the wrapper, but with a soft, pillowy texture and an infinitely more delicious taste. I don't think you can go wrong with anything filled with fresh ricotta — um, I made my own for the first time ... how exciting is that! —and a mix of Asiago and Parmesan cheeses.

I first tried gnudi at Burlington's Bluebird Tavern, where the dumplings were so soft, they literally melted in my mouth. Amazing. So imagine how excited I was to find a recipe on owner Sue Bette's personal blog! Obviously, the gnudi served at the Bluebird is probably based on her chef's recipe, not her own, but I still trusted that the owner of such a delicious dining spot had a good one up her sleeve.

She totally does.

I recommend making your own ricotta. I'd always been daunted by the idea, but then I read a few tutorials and was surprised at how simple it is. Basically, you bring whole milk, heavy cream and salt to a simmer, then mix in lemon juice to curdle it into curds and whey. (There are versions that use buttermilk or vinegar instead of lemon juice for the acid, and I might try one of those next time.) Here's the recipe I used. For this gnudi, you'll need to make two cups of ricotta.

From there, it's just a matter of mixing  the dough, rolling it out by hand, cutting it into little pillows, and boiling. I would normally be intimidated by a recipe with so many steps, but this is really, really simple. Promise. Dave and I agreed that this was one of our best dinners to date. Happily, this recipe makes 4-6 servings, so we have half of the uncooked gnudi waiting for us in the freezer.

Gnudi (Ricotta Dumplings)

Recipe slightly adapted from Feel Good Eats

serves 4-6

2 cups fresh whole-milk ricotta, drained if wet

1/2 cup Parmesan, finely shredded

1/2 cup Asiago, finely shredded

2 teaspoons salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 to 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, comine the ricotta, Parmesan, Asiago, salt, pepper and egg. Mix well. Add the flour in small batches — 1/2 cup at a time — and gently mix until the dough holds together. It only took 1 cup of flour for my batch. 

Transfer the dough to a large wooden board, lightly floured, and knead briefly — no more than 1 minute — until the dough is smooth and pliable. Don't overwork the dough; this can lead to tough, dense gnudi. Cut the dough into quarters.

With lightly floured hands, roll each segment of the dough into a long snake, about 3/4-inch wide. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 1-inch pieces. Take a fork and make a light imprint on each side with the tines; this helps the sauce, etc. stick to the dough later. Lay each piece in a single layer on a plate while you finish the other segments of dough. When you have a full plate, cover it with a kitchen cloth and refrigerate. 

To freeze gnudi for later, put a plate in the freezer until the dough is frozen, then transfer to a plastic bag for storage. (You don't need to defrost before cooking; just place in boiling water.)

Prepare a sauce. I just heated up good marinara sauce in a large pan and kept it warm for the gnudi.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a dash of sea salt. Gently drop in a small amount of gnudi. Once they rise to the surface, cook for 1 additional minute before transferring to your warm sauce with a slotted spoon. Garnish on serving plate with basil if desired.