Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi with Sage

I first made these for Bill Granger in Puglia when we were cooking and shooting his ‘Bill’s Italian Food’ cookbook with Mikkel Vang, the photographer. 

Fond memories of cooking with Bill over charcoal and wood fired ovens in the hills of Southern Italy..

500g Spinach 500g Ricotta 100g Ground Almonds 100g Almond Flour 1 Egg, beaten 50g Butter 50g Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Sage Leaves Pine Nuts Nutmeg Salt Pepper

Drain the ricotta well.

Take the spinach and blanch lightly salted water for a few minutes, then pass them quickly in iced water so that the original colour is retained.

Drain well, squeeze, and wait to cool down.

Once cold, chop the spinach very finely with a knife and place in a large bowl and add the ricotta cheese, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Add the whole egg, flour and mix everything in such a way that the ingredients combine well and become a homogeneous mixture, if it seems too soft or wet (because perhaps the ricotta has not been drained well), just add flour little by little until the softness is less and it becomes more homogeneous.

At this point you can shape your gnudi, form small balls (about the size of a walnut), roll them in flour and place them in a well-floured tray and space them apart.

Let them rest in the fridge for no more than 20 minutes so that they become more compact and homogeneous

THE SAUCE

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Chop the aromatic herbs and cook them in a saucepan at low heat

In another saucepan, toast the pine nuts, and coarsely grind them when toasted.

COOKING THE GNUDI

In a large pot, add water and salt and bring it to a boil. Take the gnudi from the fridge and start cooking by adding a few gnudi at a time to the pot with boiling water.

They will be cooked once they rise to the surface, then take them out with a skimmer. Once all the gnudi are cooked, you can add in the seasoning.

First, toss in the flavoured butter, then the pine nuts. 

If you prefer, you can add some freshly ground pepper and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top, and they’re ready to serve!

ingredients

• Spinach

• Ricotta

• Ground Almonds

• Almond Flour

• Egg

• Butter

• Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Sage

• Nutmeg

• Salt

• Pepper