RICOTTA AND SPINACH GNUDI
A TUSCAN RECIPE
This is a recipe that tastes like home to me. Always a part of my childhood, gnudi (or malfatti) are a rustic yet delicate dish that is tasty and easy to prepare. They are like ravioli but without the pasta that surrounds them, which is where the special name of this dish comes from. These can be served with butter and sage or on a bed of plain tomato sauce. The latter is the version I prefer.
The dish can also be prepared in a gluten-free version by replacing wheat flour with rice flour.
INGREDIENTS
For the GNUDI you will need :
500 grams fresh spinach (with small leaves)
300 grams of fresh ricotta
2 eggs
150 grams type 0 flour
100 g parmesan cheese
For the tomato sauce
400 g peeled tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
6 basil leaves
olive oil
salt to taste
For the butter and sage version
butter 100 gms
enough sage
Parmesan cheese (optional)
METHOD
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Wash and boil the spinach for about 2 minutes, drain and leave to cool. Once cooled, carefully squeeze out all the excess water, then chop it up and place it in a bowl.
Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, half the flour and mix everything together (you can also use a mixer to chop the ingredients better). Then sprinkle the remaining flour over the work surface, create small balls with the mixture (you can also use a spoon) and roll them in the flour.
Immerse the gnudi in the pot and when they come to the surface, after about 2-3 minutes, drain them with a slotted spoon and serve with the sauce of your choice.
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
In a frying pan, pour a tablespoon of oil and brown a crushed garlic. Then add the tomatoes (seeded) cut into pieces, the basil and some salt. Let it cook on a medium flame for 10-15 minutes. Finally pass the mixture through a vegetable mill and keep aside to serve the gnudi (if the sauce is too liquid, put it back on the heat to thicken).
FOR THE BUTTER AND SAGE VERSION
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sage, a little salt and stir. Finally pour the gnudi into the mixture, mix everything together (rotate the pan so as not to smash the gnudi) and serve with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
STORAGE
The GNUDI mixture can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days, otherwise it can be frozen for a month.
