So sorry! I’ve been wallowing in post-holiday laziness. But I’m back, and I’m ready to show you how to make something tasty!
For a long time, I had no idea what to do with leftover ricotta cheese. I would buy a container, use a few spoonfuls of it on a pizza, then pull it out of the fridge several months later and recoil in horror at the scary pink color it had turned. Recently, I decided I needed to correct this problem. With a mostly-full container in the fridge, I set out find a recipe that required a large amount of ricotta. And that is when I discovered gnudi. If you like gnocchi but have little-to-no patience, gnudi is for you. Instead of peeling, chopping, boiling, and mashing potatoes and then waiting for them to cool before you actually get to the pasta-making part, you just mix together ricotta, flour, parmesan, and a couple other things. In less than 10 minutes, you have pasta dough. Just roll it out, cut it up, and throw it in a pot of boiling water. You could stop there, but pan-frying makes them even better. Aside from the deliciousness that brown butter will impart onto anything it touches, the frying gives the gnudi a nice, crisp outer texture. I think mushrooms compliment the pasta wonderfully, but feel free to add whatever you want—they’re versatile!
Pan-Fried Gnudi with Brown Butter & Mushrooms
(adapted from Gourmet via Epicurious)
yield: 4 servings
- 2 cups (16 oz.) of ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups of freshly-grated parmesan cheese
- 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ cup (1 stick) of butter
- 12 oz. of white or crimini mushrooms, sliced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Combine ricotta, parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Add flour and stir until a wet dough forms.
At this point, I like to put the bowl of dough in the fridge for 15–20 minutes. I find that cold dough is less sticky, and therefore easier to work with. In the meantime, slice mushrooms and saute in a little bit of butter, until mushrooms just begin to brown and soften. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove dough from fridge. Grab a fistful of dough and place on a well-floured surface. Roll out to form 1-inch thick ropes, then cut into pieces.
Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat. While you wait for it to boil, roll out and cut up the rest of the gnudi. Once the water is boiling, add in half of the pasta. While they cook, brown half of the butter in a pan. When the gnudi are puffy (this will take around 4 minutes) transfer them to the pan with a slotted spoon.
Fry gnudi until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate or large bowl. Repeat process with the second half of the pasta. Once the second batch is browned, add the first batch and the mushrooms to the pan, and stir until evenly warmed. Remove from heat and serve!
oooh This looks great. I haven’t quite talked myself into making homemade pasta yet… probably because I’m still happily wallowing in my recent successes in the crust department. I think maybe this is a sign to move on. =P Wish me luck!
Oooh, it’s definitely a good first step into the homemade pasta world! Good luck!
Also, I’m interested in your crust success. I have a great pizza crust recipe that I’ve used many times, but I’m always on the lookout for a better one. I’d be happy to exchange, if you like!
mmm, i love these. didn’t know they were called gnudi, I just call ‘em ricotta gnochi! I mix a little leftover pumpkin puree when I have it, goes great with brown butter :)
Oh my, that sounds delicious, Jena!
I’d never heard of gnudi until now! Very cool.
Nice work. It looks great!
This looks just amazing for a chilly, winter night. And I happen to have leftover shiitake mushrooms! Thanks!
This sounds awesome! We will have to try this.
oh. em. gee. these look AMAZING! i can’t wait to try them! :)
This sounds AMAZING! I need to try this.
I literally just made this. Added shallots and spinach to the mushrooms and used far less butter to pan fry the gnudi. But – oh ma gahd. THIS IS SO GOOD.