Gnudi with tomato butter
They look a bit rustic, I’ll say it for you, but my gosh, were these surprisingly so delicious. They’re tender and chewy, not a melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi. I had ricotta leftover in the pantry and felt this was the opportunity to make! I haven’t made gnudi since I was a kid. At the time, my mom and I were inspired to make them via Giada’s recipe for a spinach version. It sounded cheeky to me, but so clever. You might be familiar, but gnudi resemble the inside of a ravioli filling, except you need flour to make them into dough. I used a cookie scoop to drop them into the water instead of rolling them into perfect spheres, so they almost look like a chicken meatball!
Tomato Butter: This was a sauce to be danced with. Rich buttery caramelized tomato paste is my jam and these gnudi took the benefit. Tomato paste is a great solution for a sauce when you don’t have a can of tomatoes to use. Cook it in oil and butter, add garlic, and a little pasta water or heavy cream.
Gnudi with Tomato Butter
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter Kate's
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/4 c. roughly chopped parsley
- 10 c. water
- Kosher salt
- 12 oz whole milk ricotta Galbani, classic
- 1/2 c. Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
- 14 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil. Once butter is melted add tomato paste, cooking and breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until dark red and fragrant. Add parsley. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Bring a pot with water to simmer. Season with salt as desired.
- In a medium bowl combine ricotta, Pecorino Romano, flour, nutmeg, salt until a sticky wet mixture forms. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of gnudi mixture into your hand. Gently form into a ball. It will be sticky. Place in the pot of simmering water and cook for about 5 minutes or until the gnudi float to the surface of the water. Scoop about 1/4 to 1/3 c. hot water from the pot and add to the tomato butter. Remove gnudi with a slotted spoon and place gently in skillet with tomato butter.
- Serve with Pecorino.
