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Tuscany Gnudi




Source of Recipe


TheCuriousAppetite.com


Recipe Introduction


Sometimes described as ravioli without the pasta. The recipe below is slightly revised from the original.

One annoying thing about this recipe (and apparently most similar recipes) is that it calls for how much chopped spinach one ends up with, rather than how much to buy. According to www.howmuchisin.com/produce_converters/spinach, a pound of spinach makes about a cup of chopped spinach.

Also, while it may defeat the local charm of this recipe, I suspect one could also use a block of frozen chopped spinach (which is already blanched). According to traditionaloven.com, a 10oz package of frozen chopped spinach converts to about 2 cups, so in this recipe I would use no more than a half package (and not more: don't want it to be too spinachy).

As for sauces, one suggested sauteed mushrooms in olive oil/butter. I'd also like to try pesto, although not sure how it will interact with the spinach.


Recipe Link: https://thecuriousappetite.com/2014/11/16/spinach-and-ricotta-gnudi-from-tuscany/

List of Ingredients




3/4 cup chopped blanched spinach
3/4 cup Ricotta (from whole milk)
1/2 cup finely shredded Tuscan Pecorino Cheese (or grana padana or parmigiano)
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Nutmeg
3 tbsp of sifted cake or fine “00” flour
1 egg
salt and freshly cracked pepper
Flour for dredging

Recipe



1. Flash blanch spinach for 30 seconds in boiling water then cool in an icebath. Squeeze out excess moisture (or strain out moisture overnight with something heavy over the spinach in the fridge in a colander, with a bowl underneath to collect the excess liquid). Chop spinach VERY finely.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta and finely grated cheese. Add chopped chives and nutmeg, salt and pepper. Don’t add too much salt- remember aged cheese is usually salty. Mix. Add chopped spinach. Mix. Add egg. Mix. Add sifted flour. Mix until you have a smooth mixture with no flour clumps. (TIP: You should add flour only to help with the moisture. This is why draining the spinach overnight is ideal. If your mix is too gooey or liquid-y, add more aged cheese but NOT flour or ricotta if at all possible. The flour will soak up the flavor and the ricotta is too moist.)

3. On pastry board or pastry mat, start with a small mound of flour, then put a 2 tbsp size (think tiny ping-pong balls or large gumball) of cheese and spinach mix in your flour dusted palm. Not too big and not too small. Form little balls and cover with a good amount of flour. You want the flour to serve as a cover and the gnudi are ready when they are no longer sticky and are covered in enough flour. Don’t be shy! They should have a good protective layer of flour.

VARIATION: Form the entire quantity of dough into a ball while still in the bowl and then transfer the dough ball to floured surface and start working it into a rope shape that is between 2 and 3 inches thick. Once the dough rope has been formed, cut into about 1-1/2 to 2-inch pieces.

4. Add balls to a pot of boiling salted water and boil for about 5 minutes. They are ready when they are all floating to the top. Similar to dumplings or making gnocchi.

5. Toss with sauce of your choice.