You Can Make Gnudi With Cheap Ricotta at the Grocery Store

There is a type of food writer who will insist that certain recipes cannot be made without the finest, finest ingredients. I once read an article that said you shouldn’t even try to make caprese without the best bufula mozzarella (or local cow’s milk mozzarella if you prefer). This, in my not very modest, but somewhat cheap opinion, is stupid. If grocery store cheese caprese is your thing, then grocery store cheese caprese is perfect.

Similarly, I’ve seen several gnudi recipes that claim you can’t make little cheese dumplings without the best ricotta. It’s a lie. Yes, and they are very tasty.

Difference between Nudi and Gnocchi

If you’ve never tried gnudi before, you’re in for a treat. “Gnudi” means “naked” in Tuscan, as the little balls are essentially the naked stuffing you’ll find in ricotta ravioli, bound with flour and egg and rolled into dumplings before being briefly boiled. They are fluffier and lighter than their potato-based cousins, gnocchi, with more of a cheesy, tangy flavor that pairs best with a traditional brown butter and sage sauce or a simple marinara.

It’s a simple recipe, but people treat it strangely. There is a lot of hand-wringing around the gnuti to keep its shape, and many recipe writers insist that only the thickest, creamiest ricotta will prevent the tender pieces from falling apart and bad taste. Cheap store-bought ricotta won’t work, they say, and some try to reinforce the dumplings’ structural integrity by wrapping them in a thin semolina shell (which takes nearly three days).

I’m not saying these recipes are bad. If you want to pay extra for premium ricotta, you are welcome. After all, dumplings are mostly cheese, and even “bad” cheese is pretty good. My point is that you can make gnudi with any ricotta you have access to and you shouldn’t feel bad about it.

How to keep a cheap gnudi from falling apart

I don’t have a ready-made gnuti recipe, so I used the proportions suggested in this simple recipe from TheKitchn. As with most gnudi recipes, this one emphasizes the importance of using ultra-creamy, high-quality ricotta. But you don’t need expensive cheese to be a sweetheart; you just need a freezer and paper towels.

The idea for paper towels came from Serious Eats , which is a good idea, even though their recipe takes almost three days. (I’m sure this is a great recipe, but I just don’t have the patience or room in the fridge to wait three days for dumplings.) paper towels on top and pressed firmly. I removed the top layer and repeated this maneuver with a fresh paper towel, then removed this, took a new one and did it again. I weighed the cheese before and after and found that it had lost about 20% moisture, which is a good thing – drier cheese binds better to the eggs and flour, which helps keep the pot intact.

Freezing is another key to stable dumplings. If you’ve ever deep-fried foods that can melt, like chocolate bars or ice cream, you know that freezing helps delicate confections hold their shape while they cook in hot oil. The same principle applies here. By going from very cold to very hot, you’re skipping the middle “warm” stage where everything starts to fall apart. I froze the gnuti dough twice: once before shaping into balls and again after shaping but before boiling.

I also made portioning easier using the meatball trick I read about on Reddit. Instead of scooping up the dough with a melon ball or similar tool (which I always lose), I pressed the dough into an even layer in a baking dish and then divided it into 15 equal pieces with a dough scraper. After dividing into portions, I put the dish in the freezer for 10 minutes, until the dough became firm, but it was still possible to scoop it up.

Each rectangle of dough rose neatly out of the baking dish and I was able to roll them into balls without any structural issues. Then I dusted the baking sheet with a thick layer of all-purpose flour, put gnuti on this flour and covered them with more flour. The flour helps the dumplings keep their shape by forming a small loose shell around the cheese dough during cooking; it’s not exactly pasta, but it’s close to pasta. As soon as the balls fell off, I put the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, then boiled the water and heated the jar of Rao.

How to cook gnudi

If you can make pre-packaged gnocchi, you can make homemade newdies. All you have to do is place them in a lightly simmering water and let them sit for 3-5 minutes until they warm up and float to the surface. Then, using a slotted spoon, you can transfer them to a dish with warmed marinara, or with traditional browned butter and sage, or directly into individual bowls, and put the sauce on top. Just like your choice of cheese, whichever way you choose a plate of gnuti is fine.

Cheap & Easy Ricotta Gnudi (adapted from The Kitchn , servings 2)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces ricotta, any brand of your choice
• 1 oz grated Parmesan (I used pre-shredded Murray powder, which comes in a tube).
• 1 egg
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• Sauce of your choice

Place three paper towels on a plate and spread the ricotta over the towels. Place three paper towels on top and press down to remove excess moisture. Replace damp paper towels with fresh paper towels and press again. Repeat one more time.

Transfer cheese to a large bowl and add all other ingredients except flour. Stir with a rubber or silicone spatula, then add 1/2 cup flour and mix well to form a dough. Pour the dough into a square baking dish and divide into 15 equal parts using a scraper or knife. Put the dish in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet with 1/4 cup flour. (I used a quarter sheet with sides.) Roll each piece of dough into balls and place them on the floured sheet, then dust the entire surface of each dumpling with more flour. You may need to carefully lift and turn the dumplings to completely cover them; it’s ok, just be gentle. Once everything is floured, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes.

While the gnudi are cooling, bring a pot of salted water to a high boil, then bring to a low boil. You want bubbles, but you don’t want your water to boil. This is also a good time to brown some oil or heat up the sauce in a large pot.

Boil the chilled gnodi in low-boiling water, working in batches if necessary to allow enough space between them. Do this for 3-5 minutes until they float to the top and warm up. Transfer each batch to the warmed sauce with a slotted spoon until everything is cooked through and the sauce is infused. Serve immediately with plenty of parmesan and parsley or basil for garnish.