We watched a program tonight where they made Gnudi (a version of the word "nude" in Italian). It is called that because it is like a pasta dish without the pasta, so "nude":) Sounds delicious, so I have put together my own version of the recipe with some changes. There is no salt in this recipe as we are going very low sodium these days, but Parmesan is a "salty" cheese, so I don't find the lack of salt is a big deal. I have gone with low fat ricotta to reduce the amount of saturated fat and I have decreased the amount of Parmesan cheese and eggs for the same reason!
Ingredients:
Pomodoro Sauce to pour over the finished gnudi (you can make it from scratch or buy the bottled stuff to make this a lot easier!)
2 eggs
1 (454 gram) tub low fat ricotta
6 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup baby spinach, blanched, squeezed dry and chopped
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Semolina flour or all-purpose flour, for coating
Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Directions:
Bring large pot of water to a boil.
Beat eggs with whisk. Add ricotta, olive oil, Parmesan cheese. Stir with wooden spoon to mix. Stir in spinach. Stir in
flour, just until smooth. If it doesn’t hold its shape as you form the balls, add more
flour to the dough.
Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls.
Transfer to large baking tray and lightly toss with semolina or flour so
they don’t stick. (Makes about 35 gnudi.)
Drop into simmering water. When gnudi start to float, cook another 1
minute. Total cook time is about 3 minutes. Remove gnudi with slotted
spoon, blotting with paper towel to remove excess water.
To serve, spoon Pomodoro Sauce into pasta bowl, top with 4 to 6
gnudi. Top with more Pomodoro Sauce. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of
olive oil. If you have fresh basil on hand, place a couple of the leaves on top.
