yummm gnudi

I have never been a big pasta fan. I could easily live my life without ever eating spaghetti. But als, I really MISS raviolli, especially cheese raviolli made with ricotta. I'm sure there is a way to make it gluten free but I can't even fathom how much work that would be. I was thumbing through a magazine and they had a recipe for gnudi which is, you guessed it, raviolli without the olli. Its just the cheese cheese filling boiled like gnocci then pan fried like a peroggi. I was salavating over the thought. I ran out and bought some ricotta as soon as I read it. I knew I could easily change it and make it gluten free.

After a winter with way too much snow in Toronto, that day it was pouring rain. As I walked out of the gargage with my ricotta I realized the snowbank in my garden that had encapsulated my herb pot was actually bare. Low and behold, I had FRESH from my garden thyme in the middle of february.

Gnudi with Frehs Thyme

3 eggs

1 425-g tub ricotta cheese

3/4 cup gluten free flour mix

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp sea salt

6 tbsp butter

generous handful of fresh thyme, dried will do in a pinch

fresh ground pepper

In a large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add ricotta and whisk until well combined. Whisk in flour, Parmesan and salt. Let gnudi mixture chill 15 minutes.

Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. Form gnudi mixture into 24 rough balls using 2 soup spoons. Gently drop each ball off the spoon and into the simmering water. Simmer the gnudi about 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked through. They pop up to the surface like cooked gnocci. Drain and reserve on a baking sheet. (Gnudi can be made in advance up to this point and kept for up to 4 hours in the fridge.)

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook about 5 minutes or until butter is browned. Add gnudi. Gently toss and cook about 5 minutes or until gnudi are heated through, lowering heat so butter doesn’t over-brown.

My kids went nutso for this. Next time I'll have to double it. I think it would also be fabulous with some sundried tomato mixed into the cheese mix.