The highlight of the evening and the thing I still dream about was a ricotta dish. At first glance I thought I was given a plate of gnocchi but with one bite I realized this was an entirely different beast. This was a plate of cheese disguised as pasta; each bite resulted in an explosion of cheesiness. To say I was smitten would have been an understatement.
It wasn't until a couple of years later that I realized what I ate was gnudi. Gnudi are essentially balls of ricotta covered in the thinnest layer of semolina. They are the fancy-pants (and far better) version of mozzarella sticks so you can see why I would be so obsessed. It never occurred to me that I could make them myself and that making them could be so insanely easy (learning some things can be very dangerous) but thankfully Kenji over at Serious Eats helped me right my wrong.
Ricotta and Black Pepper Gnudi
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats
Kenji recommended a sage and brown butter sauce to serve with these. I am sure that would be superb but I made a light cream sauce with peas and that paired beautifully (though I think a sorrel sauce could be pretty incredible as well). The choice is yours! (Kenji's sauce recipe can be found in the link to the Serious Eats site.) I also wouldn't be opposed to eating these with just a drizzle of olive oil and lots of black pepper and Parmesan.
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer or 2 to 3 as a main
course.
16 ounces
best quality fresh sheep or cow's milk ricotta
2 ounces
Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Kosher salt
and freshly ground black pepper
For the
gnudi: Line a large plate with three layers of paper towels or a clean
dish towel. Transfer ricotta directly to paper towels and spread with a rubber
spatula. Place another triple layer of paper towels or a clean dish towel on
top and press down firmly with the palms of your hands to blot excess moisture.
Peel off upper paper towels.
Place a
large bowl on a scale and zero the scale. Scrape ricotta into bowl to weigh.
Remove excess ricotta to leave exactly 12 ounces. Reserve excess ricotta for
another use. Add Parmesan and season heavily with black pepper. Combine mixture
with a rubber spatula. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a large clean
plate and spread into a thin, even layer. Transfer to freezer and let chill for
15 minutes.
Meanwhile,
transfer half of the semolina flour to a large bowl and the other half to a 9-
by 13-inch baking dish. When ricotta is chilled, scrape it into a separate
empty large bowl and fold it with a rubber spatula until no big chunks of
frozen ricotta remain. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon form a ball of
ricotta about 1 1/2-inches wide (about 2 tablespoons) and transfer to the bowl
with the flour. Using your fingers, scoop dry flour over the top of the ricotta
ball.
Once the
ball is coated, gently lift it and roll it around in your hands to form a neat
sphere. Transfer it to the baking dish. Repeat with remaining ricotta. You
should have about 16 to 20 finished gnudi. Sprinkle any remaining semolina in
the bowl over the formed gnudi. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and
refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 3 days, turning the gnudi once per day.
Once gnudi have formed a skin, they can be frozen. Transfer to a large plate or
a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Transfer to a
zipper-lock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow to
thaw on a plate covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator overnight before
cooking.
To Cook and
Serve: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add gnudi and cook,
stirring very gently, for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnudi
to a platter.
Transfer
gnudi to a warm serving dish or to individual plates. Sprinkle with Parmesan
and black pepper and sauce of your choice. Serve immediately.
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