Radishes, Recipes & Rudi

Spinach ricotta Gnudi, Photo credit www.crushmag-online.com

This dumpling either Malfatti or called Gnudi…. essentially gnocchi, because of the rough look called Malfatti in Siena or Gnudi as it is called in Florence translating to naked basically without an outer dough like ravioli. We like serving it with a tomato sauce or a burnt sage butter with hazel nuts and more parmesan. In this recipe we have a lot more parmesan than in some, but then that is how we like it, cheesy. With a lot of the older recipes the egg is omitted as it is rested for longer in semolina before cooking forming a barrier.

Use some of the liquid when finishing in the butter, gives some body to the sauce.

200g Ricotta Cheese
200g Parmesan Cheese, grated
180 g spinach, sliced chiffonade or chopped very finely and cooked (steam or boil and drain well)
2 eggs
1 eggs yolk
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh sage, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh parsley, chopped
60 g flour
salt
white pepper
roughly ½ C (125 ml) semolina
Gnudi (best made a day ahead)
Combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, eggs and egg yolk and chopped herbs. Fold in the flour and combine, add more flour if the mixture is too sticky (must be able to roll into balls). Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Line a dish that you can seal to refrigerate with a thin layer of a semolina. Portion the gnudi mixture and roll into equal sized balls. Roll the gnudi in extra semolina making sure each is coated. Place the gnudi into the dish with the layer of semolina, don’t let the gnudi touch each other or the sides of the container as they may stick. Refrigerate.
Repeat this step every 2-3 hours. Do this about six times. Remove from the semolina.
Sage Beurre Noisette
100-120 g butter
12-16 sage leaves
50-80 g macadamia nuts, coarsely crushed and toasted

Parmesan, shaved or grated as needed
Method
Place the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat, allow to bubble and froth. Do not burn, it should become nutty as the butter browns. Add the sage leaves and allow to cook and crisp up..
To cook the gnudi, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Place the gnudi into the water until they rise to the surface and float (±2-3 minutes).

Remove from the water and gently coat in sage beurre noisette and top with crushed macadamia nuts. Serve with shaved or grated Parmesan.