Sage Gnudi & New Site Design

“If clouds were made of cheese, and naughty, they’d be gnudi.“ Serious Eats

This year is off to a good start for Cucee! First and foremost, my blog has been redesigned!

Personally, I’ve always liked the design of CuceeSprouts. But ever since the web world went “Mobile First”, my blog started exhibiting early signs of aging. It must be all that pinching and zooming on the phone that contributed to its wrinkles and flabby skin. Cucee was definitely ready for a facelift!

Secondly, I have so many new healthy recipes coming your way this year! I have already photographed 3 and I just cannot wait to share them!

The first recipe of the year is Gnudi. Gnudi are basically nude ravioli, the creamy filling without the pasta wrapper! They are that ultimate winter comfort food that does not leave you feeling guilty later. Light, fluffy, and so tender, they melt in your mouth the moment they reach it.

Sage gnudi

Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Comfort Food: The Ultimate Weekend Cookbook

Gnudi ingredients

• 2.2 lb best-quality ricotta (buy or make your own)
• 3.5 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 whole nutmeg, for grating
• fine semolina, for dusting
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

The sauce ingredients

• Good-quality unsalted butter
• 1 bunch of fresh sage
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 lemon

Directions

1. Make sure your Ricotta is dry. VERY DRY. If it isn’t, squeeze out as much water as you can. This insures that your gnudi do not explode in the boiling water.
2. Beat the ricotta, grated Parmesan, a pinch of sea salt, black pepper, and a few scrapings of nutmeg.
3. Generously cover a large tray with semolina, then roll the ricotta mixture into 1-inch balls, rolling them in the tray of semolina as you go until really well coated.
4. Leave for 8 hours or overnight in the fridge UNCOVERED – the semolina will dehydrate the ricotta, giving the gnudi a lovely fine coating.
5. On the day of cooking, start by making the sauce first. Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan on a medium heat and pick in about 20 sage leaves to crisp up. Remove the crispy leaves to a plate. Leave butter in a pan but turn the heat to the lowest setting.
6. Boil the water then lower to simmer. Cook gnudi in simmering salted water for not longer than 2 minutes. Test the first batch to get the timing right. Mine take about 2 minutes until they start to fall apart. You basically just want to warm them up.
7. Scoop the gnudi directly from the water into the frying pan, adding a spoonful of the cooking water. When the butter and water have emulsified, take off the heat and grate over a layer of Parmesan, add just a few drops of lemon juice, then toss together. Serve in warm bowls straight away with an extra grating of nutmeg and Parmesan and the crispy sage leaves.

Wine pairing

Because Gnudi are very delicate, they deserve a wine that won’t overpower them.  This refreshing mild-boded Pinot Gris with palate-cleansing acidity is a perfect match!