Here's how we got nude (according to my internet research, gnudi is the Italian term for nude).
I wasn't feeling well one day...I started watching Food Network (BIG mistake, btw...watching an entire network of food shows when you don't feel well enough to get off of the couch and create in the kitchen!).
I think we were watching the show *The Best Thing I Ever Ate*. Someone was talking about something they got at Mario Batali's NYC restaurant The Spotted Pig. That got my attention, because I have been wanting to go there. I got on my lap-top and searched their menus to see if they had veggie options for Jake for our next trip to the city. I saw this: Sheep’s Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Sage $15.
Not knowing what a *Gnudi* was, I curiously googled (I was pretty sure it was vegetarian and wanted to check). I found a recipe for them (recipe below photos). Wow. They sounded wonderful and wonderfully EASY!! What started out as a menu check for a trip to NYC ended up in sheer inspiration for the kitchen (as is always the case in our inspired, flowing life...).
I printed the recipe and did more research. I read that they are called gnudis (nude) because they are the filling of a ravioli without the pasta. Cool.
Since I trust Mario and love his restaurants (we absolutely LOVE Otto), I wanted to make them and serve them the way he does at The Spotted Pig. So I found a recipe for brown sage butter...and not long after that, Jake, Sam and I (I was psyched that they were also excited and inspired by my research and the recipes) started working on our gnudi dinner...
The dough...
A pre-cooked gnudi rolled in flour...
And the finished product with the brown sage butter drizzled over them...
Uh.Muh.Guh.
THE most delicious taste sensation in the WORLD (OK...you'll be hearing me say that a LOT on this blog!!).
And eating the fried sage leaves with them?? It's heaven and dessert and dinner and JOY and love and butter and mmm-mmm Goodness...
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Gnudi (recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis)
6 servings
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for coating
topping of your choice (marinara, brown-butter sage,...)
Bring pot of salted water to a boil.
In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, parmesan cheese, eggs, and yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper and flour. Form mixture into small, flattened balls.
Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess. Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to overcrowd that pot; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for about 4 minutes.
Arrange gnudi on a platter and drizzle with your topping choice.
. . . . .
For the Brown Sage Butter:
I took 6 tbl. unsalted butter and melted it in a skillet over medium low. I let it cook for a LONG time, until it turned brown and started foaming. At that point, I took about a dozen fresh sage leaves (they are PURE VELVET!! We love them!!) and dropped them in one by one. This is SO exciting and fun to foodies like us!! Each leaf sort of deep-fried in that butter, and man, they are DEEEEE-licious!!! I added salt, and drizzled it on the gnudis for one of the most ~ yes ~ delicious taste sensations EVER.
EnJoy...
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