Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi

These gnudi are a ricotta and spinach Italian dumpling served with a simple tomato sauce. They are similar to a gnocchi but usually bigger and not with as much flour. 

You will need:

• 170 gr/6 oz bag of washed baby spinach
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small cloves of garlic - chopped fine
• 1 cup ricotta - drained at least 1 hour
• 1/2 fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• salt/pepper
• a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 4-6 tbsp flour (depending on how wet the ricotta is you may need  a bit more)
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
• your favourite tomato sauce
• ,more Parmesan to serve

Step 1: Gather all your ingredients. Place ricotta cheese in a sieve to let water drain for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: in a large saute pan cook garlic in olive oil for 1 minute. Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook another 2 minutes until spinach is wilted and some of the water has cooked out. 

Step 3: let cool then place in a paper towels to squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop fine.

Step 4: add chopped spinach, drained ricotta, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg yolks, 4 tbsp flour, breadcrumbs and mix well. If it is too wet add the additional flour.

Step 5: I used a small ice cream scoop to form balls or you can use two tablespoons.  Make a test ball to see if you have added enough flour. All ricotta is different, if you have one that is very wet you may need some additional flour to your mix to make sure your gnudi hold together when you boil them. I always do a test one to see if it holds together. Boil until the gnudi floats, then taste it and see if it is too soft or if it requires more salt and pepper. Then boil all your gnudi until they float.

Step 6: carefully remove gnudi from water and place in a large pan with 3-4 tbsp of great olive oil and saute for a few minutes.

Step 7: add your favourite sauce and cook 1 more minute. I make my sauce by add garlic, salt and pepper, fresh basil and olive oil to crushed tomatoes.

Step 8: serve with more grated Parmesan and fresh bread!!