Gnudi is quite a weird name. It stands for the filling of the ravioli, which is delicate, delicious and mouth-watering just by itself. You could use anything instead of peas, the most common one indeed are made with ricotta and spinach. I just like the green color of the peas so much!
Gnudi are a traditional italian dish, from Tuscany to be precise. I found this recipe on Giorgio Locatelli’s book “Made at Home” and i decided to replicate it. Giorgio Locatelli is an Italian chef living now in London where he runs his michelin star restaurant, Locanda Locatelli. His cooking aims to highlight the natural flavours of quality produce, much of which he imports directly from Italy. Including his ricotta, of course. As he writes on his book, it’s ridiculous he has to get a ricotta from Liguria, where there are British dairies which can make quite special ricotta as a by-product of their cheeses. The point is that ricotta it is an Italian idea, but it could be made wherever there is great quality milk.
I made a small variation to the original recipe, as my gnudi where completely melting into the boiling water when I tried to cook them. I decided to bake them instead and the result was delicious, I have to say.
“Fresh ricotta is such an undervalued ingredient that I feel has yet to reach its full potential in terms of popularity. It really comes into its own in the form of these delicate dumplings.”
Giorgio Locatelli, Made at Home
Gnudi- Ricotta Dumplings
Equipment
- whisk
- oven
- sauce pot
Ingredients
- 250 gr Ricotta
- 30 gr Grated Parmesan
- 150 gr Peas
- 3 Eggs (White and Yolk separated)
- as required Semolina Flour You can skip it
- to taste Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Put the ricotta into a colander over a bowl, put a weighted plate on top and let the ricotta dry for ont to two hours. It needs to be as drained as possible in order to make the dumplings. In the meantime, cook the peas in boiling water nd drain them.
- Mix the Parmesan and the egg yolks with the ricotta. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until very firm.
- Fold into the ricotta mixture being careful not to deflate the egg whites.
- You can now add half of the cooked peas to the mixture, making sure they're completely dry. Scoop into oval-shaped dumplings or quenelles. Dust the dumplings in some semolina dust, lay them on a tray and put them back into the fridge to rest and firm up for at least 2 hours, to overnight.
- When ready to cook, place the gnudi on a baking tray and cook them at 170C for 10 min. You can also cook them in boiling water but as for my personal experience that's riskier, as they may break. In the meantime, heat 2 tsp of olive oil and cook the remaining peas for then min. Whiz them into a green puree by using a blender.
- Serve the gnudi on top of the pea puree.
Nutrition Facts
13 servings per container
Calories60
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
2.8g
5%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
4g
2%
- Dietary Fiber 0.1g 1%
- Sugars 1.2g
- Protein 4.4g 9%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
I do have a scientific mind, probably it’s the reason why I love to hide in the kitchen and start creating.
My cooking is healthy, fun and colorful… and really tasty!
What are you waiting for? Grab your apron and start creating with me!
