One of the great things about living in NYC was the access I had to some of the top trend-setting restaurants. Granted my entry level salary didn’t really allow me to dine at Le Bernardin but I was able to try a lot of the more moderately priced spots.
I remember when The Spotted Pig opened up it was all the talk. It’s a small-ish restaurant in the West Village owned by April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman (my food crush, Mario Batali is a partner). A certain Mr. Carter aka Jay-z used to be there all the time (if you rate celebrities) and there was ALWAYS a wait for a table. It introduced the term “gastropub” into the culinary lexicon Stateside (gastropubs were already big in London).
Aside from the points mentioned above the other thing you’d hear about The Spotted Pig is that they had a dish called gnudi that everyone was raving about. Gnudi are kind of like ricotta gnocchi. Imagine the filling of ricotta ravioli without the pasta. I had never heard of gnudi before but thought it sounded pretty delicious (cheesy balls sauteed in butter? HELLO!?!?). So off it was to The Spotted Pig. Granted my trip to The Spotted Pig was about 5 years ago so I don’t remember the meal exactly but I do remember not being disappointed by the gnudi. After that I meal I kind of forgot about gnudi because I rarely see it on menus and never really thought about making it… until now.
I’m not quite sure what triggered my desire to make gnudi but one day I became obsessed with the idea and managed to find this post from The Paupered Chef for gnudi from The Spotted Pig. Score! Alas this opened up a proverbial can of worms. I needed fresh ricotta. The supermarket stuff wouldn’t cut it and I didn’t feel like going to the Italian market so I decided to make ricotta from scratch. No big deal.
After the ricotta was made the gnudi-making was pretty simple. I combined the ricotta with some herbs, cheese, eggs and flour and then shaped them and buried them in semolina overnight. To cook the gnudi you drop them in boiling water until they float to the surface (about 2 minutes) and then sautee them in brown butter. A pretty quick process.
I was beyond pleased with my gnudi. They were so light and luscious. The semolina coating formed a nice crust on the outside to contain the melty ricotta goodness. I’m not even kidding when I say that the ricotta was silky. So good. I ended up serving about 6 pieces of gnudi with some green salad and it was definitely not enough for a meal. This would be a good starter otherwise you’d have to eat A LOT of gnudi to make it a meal.
Homemade Gnudi
* 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
* 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for finishing the pasta
* 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
* 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (optional)
* 1/2 cup all purpose flour
* 4 cups semolina flour
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 10-12 sage leaves
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. The mixture should be light and airy when you’re finished.
Next, fold in the 1/2 cup of flour until it is combined with the ricotta mixture, adding more flour by the tablespoon if needed so that the mixture isn’t too sticky to roll into 1-inch balls.
Using floured hands, roll the ricotta mixture into balls and place in a bowl or dish that has 1/4 inch of the semolina sprinkled on the bottom. Arrange the balls so that they are not touching each other or the sides. When you have a layer, cover the balls completely with flour and begin another layer. Finish by completely burying the ricotta balls and transfer to the fridge. Leave overnight.
Carefully unearth the gnudi and place on a rimmed baking sheet. The flour that remains can be sifted back into a container to use in the future.
Allow the gnudi to come to room temperature, and in the meantime prepare the brown butter and bring a pot of salted water to boil.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Watch it carefully, and when the butter solids begin to brown and the butter is foamy (above), add the sage leaves. Just a few moments longer on the heat and the butter should turn a nutty brown color. Don’t overcook it to avoid introducing any bitter flavors.
Carefully transfer the gnudi to a pot of salted boiling water and cook until they float, about 1 minute.
Remove them with a slotted spoon to drain, and serve with the brown butter and crisped sage leaves. Grate Parmesan over them, if desired.
(Recipe via The Paupered Chef)
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{new blog entry} Homemade Gnudi – Spotted Pig Style http://goo.gl/fb/VIaTk
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RT @WOMPblog: {new blog entry} Homemade Gnudi – Spotted Pig Style http://goo.gl/fb/VIaTk
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@wonTONfm Mmmmmmmm! RT Homemade Gnudi a la The Spotted Pig in NYC http://bit.ly/bxHNRQ
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Amazing!! Homemade Gnudi – Spotted Pig Style http://bit.ly/9bVvH5
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Amazing!! Homemade Gnudi – Spotted Pig Style http://bit.ly/9bVvH5 @WOMPblog
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I had to tweet this and give you two thumbs way up. I love the spotted pig, LOVE it and i love gnudi. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Cheers!
Love, love, love this dish at Spotted Pig. Who knew the ingredients were so simple. I’m totally NOT making ricotta from scratch though.
RT @wonTONfm: [new blog post} Homemade Gnudi a la The Spotted Pig in NYC http://bit.ly/bxHNRQ
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That looks fabulous.
Have you tried home made pot pie? I just made it–so simple and delicious!
This week, I’m going to try out homemade tourtière.
When I can get a camera cable, I think I ought to send you a bunch of pictures.
@ John – no homemade ricotta? Amateur.
@ Candice – thanks for the RT!
@ Kristin – I’ve only made chicken pot pies.. no meat. But I should!
Use your ricotta to make ferttirs (aka croquettes or little fried things). The basic recipe is in the mushroom version below (and these are copied unedited from my emails to my olive oil customers, so ignore the local Portland references), but you can adapt almost anything else. Lightly cooked tender greens are perfect (spinach, beet greens, chard, arugula process briefly or chop really fine). Mushroom Ricotta FrittersI’ve been buying the fresh ricotta from Jacob Creamery at the farmers market the last few weeks. While it’s good for a lot of things, I can’t seem to get past making ferttirs. The basic ferttirs without the mushrooms are delicious, and you can add just about anything to them.I used a blend of chanterelles and maitaake mushrooms from Roger and Norma at Springwater Farms. I tore them up a little, then roasted on parchment paper until lightly browned.Mix a half pint of ricotta with two eggs, a couple of tablespoons of flour, about a half cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, about three-fourths of a cup of bread crumbs, a cup of chopped roasted mushrooms, freshly grated pepper, and a good pinch of sea salt. Use two soup spoons or your hands to form patties about the size of an egg, slide them into a skillet slicked with a generous amount of good olive oil, and cook until nicely browned on both sides. Sprinkle with flor de sal and eat immediately.Squash FrittersPeel, seed, and cube a butternut squash. Put the cubes in a glass bowl with about a quarter cup of water, cover, and microwave for 4-5 minutes or until easily mashed (if you’re microwave-averse, steam them). Combine about a cup and half of the mashed squash with an equal amount (more or less) of ricotta, about a half cup each of cornmeal and bread crumbs, a couple of eggs, a handful of grated Parmigiano, a finely chopped shallot, and salt. The mixture should hold together but not be too dry.Use two soup spoons or your hands to form patties about the size of an egg or walnut, slide them into a skillet slicked with a generous amount of good olive oil, flatten gently with a fork, and cook until nicely browned on both sides. Sprinkle with flor de sal and eat immediately.