NYC 2 BIG D: Let's Get Gnudi

You are probably wondering right now 'What in the world is Gnudi?' Well, first I must explain the reason for making them. I have a habit of trying to recreate a dish that I fall in love with when I eat at restaurants. During my last visit to NYC this past month, we made a stop at Spotted Pig in West Village, and they are known for their Gnudi dish. I had no idea what Gnudi was, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying it. We ordered, we ate, and I loved. Gnudi can be described as "ravioli filling without the pasta." They are made with a mixture of ricotta, parmesan, eggs and flour (sometimes spinach), then shaped into balls, boiled and topped with a sauce. After devouring them in NYC, I was on a mission to make them when I returned home.

Now, every week once a week, I have something that I normally call Pizza Night at our house, but this week we had Gnudi Night! I always invite Paris and our other good friend/Montana’s co-worker, Valpo, over for dinner, in which I usually make Pizza or sometimes Arepas (which I’ll explain on a different posting). This time I attempted to re-craft the delicious Gnudi from Spotted Pig. I have to say it wasn’t really that close, but they turned out great! I actually added spinach to the dough and I created a different tomato sauce with ground beef. They are a little time consuming when rolling them into balls, but completely worth it. A faster way to make them is to place the dough in a ziplock bag, cut off a corner and squeeze a small amount of dough into the boiling water, repeating until the bag is empty. I will do that the next time I make them. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart as a guide, but added my own touch. Here is my version of the recipe. I hope that you like it!

Ricotta and Spinach Gnudi with Tomato Meat Sauce

• 4 oz frozen spinach

• 1 large egg

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese

• 3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• ¼ cup onion, chopped

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ¼ lb ground beef

• 1 can Don Pepino’s sauce, or any other favorite pasta sauce

• 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn

• Garnish with grated Asiago cheese

• Cook frozen spinach in microwave for 1-2 minutes or until thawed. Place spinach in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze to remove any remaining liquid. Transfer to a food processor, adding the egg, cheeses, ¼ cup flour, salt and pepper. Process until well combined.

• Mound the remaining ¾ cup of flour on a cutting board. Using floured hands, gently shape 1 tablespoon spinach mixture into a small ball. Drop it into the flour, and quickly roll to coat lightly. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to cook (at least 30 minutes).

• Meanwhile, sauté onion and salt in olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ground beef and cook until beef is brown. Add the can of Don Pepino’s and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnudi, and stir gently to prevent them from sticking together. Cook until gnudi rise to, and remain on, surface, about 5 minutes.

• Use a slotted spoon to remove gnudi from water and transfer to a large bowl or plate.

• Stir in 2 tablespoons gnudi cooking water and basil to tomato sauce. Take off heat. Spoon sauce over Gnudi and top with Asiago cheese. Serve and Enjoy!