Gnudi are basically a type of gnocchi made with ricotta cheese instead of mashed potatoes. They’re much easier to make and their texture is very delicate and fluffy. I tried making them with buckwheat flour this time, and they turned out beautifully. Buckwheat flour gave them an earthy and almost nutty flavor that went really well with peas. The gnudi recipe was adapted from Gesine Bullock-Prado’s blog G Bakes! If you using a pastry bag for these gnudi is too much of a fuss for you, you can just drop the gnudi mixture into boiling water using a teaspoon.
For the Buckwheat gnudi.
Ingredients:
- 150g ricotta cheese
- 25g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 30g buckwheat flour
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta and Parmesan cheese. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, salt and lemon zest. Stir the mixture into the cheeses until smooth. Gently fold in the flour just until incorporated. Do not overmix or the gnudi will not be light and fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag fit with a large open pastry tip and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Squeeze about 2cm of dough from pastry bag and cut the dough with scissors directly into the boiling water, holding the bag as close to the water as possible to avoid splashing. Squeeze and cut quickly. Boil the gnudi until they pop to the top of the water and then cook for at least 8 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove gnudi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Keep warm.
For the Pea and lemon cream sauce.
Ingredients:
- 100g frozen peas
- 100ml cooking cream
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- pinch of sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- some gnudi cooking water
Directions:
Cook the peas in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly with ice cold water.
In a medium saucepan, heat cream and crushed garlic until warmed through. Add peas and season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Simmer on medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until the peas are warmed through and soft. Add the cooked gnudi and lemon zest. Thin the sauce with a tablespoon or two of gnudi cooking water if necessary. Cook for 2-3 minutes and serve immediately with a shaving of Parmesan cheese.
Commentary.
Category: Pasta, rice & grains, Vegetarian
This dish is actually just another version of that tagliatelle we discovered some time ago. Because we love gnudi and they’re so easy to make, I decided to use them instead of pasta. Gnudi are basically a really light and fluffy type of gnocchi made with ricotta cheese. This time I used buckwheat flour, which gave them a lovely earthy and almost nutty flavor. Moreover, they’re gluten free.