Ricotta gnudi with romesco sauce
Gnudi, originally from Tuscany, is the ricotta filing of a ravioli, served without the pasta wrapping. Here, we’ve tossed the tender ricotta dumplings through a smoky romesco sauce and topped with plenty of parmesan for a rich, cheesy comfort food.
- GNUDI
- 500g firm ricotta, drained well
- 1¼ cups (100g) finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons fine semolina
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (160g) fine semolina, extra
- ½ cup (50g) walnuts, roasted, chopped coarsely
- chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve
- ROMESCO SAUCE
- 200g chopped drained roasted red capsicum
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- ½ cup (50g) walnuts, roasted
- 1 medium truss tomato (150g), chopped
- ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- Combine ricotta, parmesan, egg yolks, semolina and nutmeg in a large bowl. Season. Sprinkle extra semolina on a large tray to cover.
- Roll 2 teaspoons of ricotta mixture into rough balls; place on tray, gently rolling in the 1 cup of extra semolina to coat. Cover loosely with baking paper; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- ROMESCO SAUCE Process capsicum, garlic, paprika, vinegar, walnuts and tomato until combined but still coarse. Add oil; process until just combined. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. When ready to serve, heat romesco sauce in a medium frying pan over low-medium heat.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add gnudi; cook for 2 minutes or until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towel.
- Add gnudi to romesco sauce; gently toss to coat. Spoon gnudi into serving bowls; top with walnuts, parsley and extra parmesan.
Note: The gnudi mixture will need to be refrigerated for at least two hours, or overnight, before cooking.
Method
Combine ricotta, parmesan, egg yolks, semolina and nutmeg in a large bowl.
Season. Sprinkle extra semolina on a large tray to cover. Roll 2 teaspoons of ricotta mixture into rough balls; place on tray, gently rolling in the 1 cup of extra semolina to coat.
Cover loosely with baking paper; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. ROMESCO SAUCE Process capsicum, garlic, paprika, vinegar, walnuts and tomato until combined but still coarse. Add oil; process until just combined.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. When ready to serve, heat romesco sauce in a medium frying pan over low-medium heat.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add gnudi; cook for 2 minutes or until they float to the surface.
Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towel. Add gnudi to romesco sauce; gently toss to coat. Spoon gnudi into serving bowls; top with walnuts, parsley and extra parmesan.
What is gnudi? Gnudi are essentially ‘naked’ ravioli! They are made ‘nude’ in the absence of their pasta ‘clothing’.
Learn about the ingredients in gnudi
Nutmeg: a strong and pungent spice ground from the dried nut of an evergreen tree native to Indonesia. Usually found ground, the flavour is more intense from a whole nut, available from spice shops; it’s best to grate your own.
Ricotta: a soft, sweet, moist, white cow’s-milk cheese with a low fat content (8.5%) and a slightly grainy texture. The name roughly translates as “cooked again” and refers to ricotta’s manufacture from a whey that is itself a by-product of other cheese making.
Ensure to purchase a firm ricotta for this gnudi recipe to get the best results. Semolina: coarsely ground flour milled from durum wheat; the flour used in making gnocchi, pasta and couscous.
What is the difference between gnudi and gnocchi? Both are dumpling-like pastas, however, gnudi is made with ricotta while gnocchi is traditionally made using potato and flour. That being said, you can find many flavour variations of gnocchi, including ricotta gnocchi.
Explore our collection of gnocchi recipes.