Ricotta Gnudi with Kale-Basil Pesto
Gnudi is the pillowy center for stuffed pasta such as ravioli or tortellini but without the outside starchy pasta. It is delicate and tastes great with a bold sauce such as the Kale-Pesto in this recipe or even a tomato sauce. This dish is an excellent alternative for someone craving a pasta-type dish without gluten.
Servings: Four
INGREDIENTS
16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese (strained for a few hours orovernight if possible)
1 egg
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup gluten-free flour (we used Cup 4 Cup in this recipe)
extra Parmesan cheese
KALE-BASIL PESTO
1 cup kale leaves (loosely packed)
1 cup basil leaves (loosely packed)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
2 pinches of salt
PREPARATION
1 In a large mixing bowl add ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, almond flour, and gluten-free flour. Using either a stand or a hand mixer, mix quickly until the ingredients are just combined. The dough will be a little sticky.
2 Scrape down the dough into a ball, cover the bowl and refrigerate while making the pesto.
3 Make pesto by placing pine nuts and garlic in a mini chopper and quickly pulsing. Then place the basil, kale leaves, Parmesan cheese, and olive and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
4 Take a heaping tablespoon of the dough. With a second tablespoon, shape the dough into a quenelle or football shape. Keep passing the dough back and forth to get the best shape. Gently roll off the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt. Don’t overcrowd the pot. Cook the gnudi for 3-4 minutes*. Using a spider, gently lift out the gnudi and place them onto a plate with pesto sauce. (Thin out the pesto with some hot water if too thick.)
6 The gnudi will be very soft at first, but it will firm up when it cools slightly in 4-5 minutes. Serve with some grated Parmesan.
NOTES
There’s a fine line between cooked and disintegrated when it comes to delicate gnudi. Once the gnudi floats you are about 1 minute away from done. Cooking time with depend on the size of the gnudi so we recommend that you test one piece first.*
This recipe works fabulously with a plain tomato sauce instead of the pesto.
Gnudi freezes well. You can put it straight from the freezer into a pot of boiling water. Cook about 1 minute extra.
